


Coping Mechanisms (Healthy and Otherwise)

by reflected_nightmare



Category: Z Nation (TV)
Genre: Drunken Shenanigans, Drunkenness, Explicit Language, F/M, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-12
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-05-01 06:48:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 39,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5196251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reflected_nightmare/pseuds/reflected_nightmare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is basically just a thing I wanted to write, to follow the show. I just added a few original characters, to add my own spice. This is my first thing I will be posting, so I would definitely love to hear what you all think! Constructive criticism is always welcome. All is fair in love and the apocalypse. (Or so the saying should be.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Look Out Below

**Author's Note:**

> As you all know, I do not own anything in this story except my own made-up characters. Everything else belongs to syfy and the creators. I just really enjoy the show. 
> 
> Enjoy and feel free to comment or anything if you want! I just hope you enjoy the chaos that is my writing. :)
> 
> Rated mature for future content, though I have no idea when it will show up, honestly.

Oceana POV:  
Running. Running as fast as I can. Keep going. I have to find someplace safe to hide. I have to. Either that, or get eaten. It’s not much of a choice really. I round a corner and see a stray door blowing in the wind. I race towards it, flying through, and shutting it behind me. I lock it and shove a chair under the handle. I’m in a kitchen. This used to be someone’s house. Probably a family, judging by the children’s drawings on the fridge. Now they stand, dusty, dirty, torn, long forgotten in the state of the world. Left behind by their owners in a rush to escape the unfolding terrors. A family who, most likely, hasn’t survived. Who probably perished at the hand of those monsters, those zombies… ripping, tearing, destroying… I lean over and breathe deeply and slowly, trying not to lose what little I’ve eaten. I tell myself time and time again that I can’t think like that. It won’t help my anxiety and coming across meds for that little issue is incredibly difficult. I continue to inhale and exhale with determined focus. I finally stand back up, taking a shaky step, heading for the staircase. I need to take to the roofs for a better vantage point. Not to mention, if those undead bastards do get in, I want to be far away.

I enter a bedroom, mercifully empty. I shut the door and throw my bag on the slightly decaying bedframe. I open the zipper to see what remains of my gatherings. Not much, unfortunately. A few packages of stale crackers, a can of soup, a bag of dried fruit, 2 bottles of water, a few rounds of ammo for each of my three guns, a small blanket, and a jacket. Crud. I’m getting low on everything. Go figure. I go back to the kitchen, only to attempt to find sustenance. I open the cupboards and all I find is a can of fruit and some beef jerky. I take it, mumbling with frustration. I’m barely scraping up enough to survive as of late. I don’t dare approach the refrigerator, for fear of rotten products. I learned that one the hard way. I check under the sink and rejoice when I find two more bottles of water. I make one more discovery, in the forms of a handy pocket knife. 

I practically gallop back upstairs, partly because I’m happy about my finds and partly because I still want to get a move on as quickly as I can. I take a last couple of minutes to look in the bedside table. It’s a good thing I do too. I find a machete and some rounds for my guns. I internally cheer at my current streak of luck. I take my spoils and scram. I open the window and gauge the distance between my current position and the ledge of the roof. My mind races, determining my chances of being able to climb it, or falling and breaking my ass. I shrug and go for it. It beats waiting around for trouble, or you know, death. Yeah, definitely risking it. I huff a sigh, grabbing the windowpane and hoisting myself up. I scale the side with the help of the bricks and a drainage pipe. I don’t relax until my feet land on the roof and I’m away from the possibility of falling. 

I glance around, taking in my surroundings. A whole lot of nothing, that’s what I see. I trudge to the opposite edge, hoping the nearest building has a jumpable gap. It’s about a yard, which is perfect. I step back a bit and take a running leap. I crash onto the gravel topped terrace, skinning my right knee. I cringe slightly as the pebbles grind within the little cuts. I get up and brush them off, glaring accusingly at the ground. I get my bearings and continue roof hopping until I reach the edge of town. 

I spy a car sitting abandoned nearby. I decide to hotwire it. I’ve overstayed my welcome here already as is. The zombies are restless and catching on. I’ve been here for about a month, I think. Damn. That long already? I grumble quietly, sick of being on my own. I peer down into the alley, trying to find a semi safe way down, and to check for threats. There’s a fire escape ladder on the side and the coast is clear, so I proceed to climb to the road beneath. I creep to the corner and peek around, making sure there’s no unwanted company. Seeing nothing of interest, I cautiously walk towards the lone car, whipping my head around wildly, always on the defensive. 

I grab the handle and open the driver’s side door. The freaking alarm goes off. Shit. I dive in, throwing my backpack and the likes into the backseat, all caution now gone with the wailing cry of the stupid vehicle. I shut my door and reach for the wires needed to get the blasted thing going. There’s a whamming thud on the side of the car and I look up wide-eyed to see a handful of the undead banging on the windows, growling and drooling at me. I go back to my work, with much more resolve. It takes a couple of tries and a lot of stress, but when the engine roars to life, I’m relieved. I hit the gas pedal, laughing manically in my joy at escaping another close call. I’m still amazed that I’ve made it as far as I have at this point. After that incident… I shake my head rapidly. I refuse to think about all of that right now. It will only bring the panic. I cannot deal with that, it’s too much. So instead I just drive. 

As the sun nears the horizon, I pull off into a small well-hidden cove of trees. I turn off the car, and drink a tiny amount of water and munch on a couple of pieces of jerky, saving the rest, knowing I may not find any more snacks or water for a while. I lock the doors and sprawl out in the backseat, pulling my blanket over my body, using my sack as a pillow. I try to think of as happy of thoughts as I can, willing a dreamless sleep. I’m so through with the nightmares. 

I wake abruptly to the early morning light, pleasantly surprised that my power of will seems to have worked. I didn’t dream about a single thing. It’s a nice change of pace. I have a few sips of water and a handful of dried fruit. I put my things away and start the car. I drive in the same direction I was going yesterday. I hum to myself as I go, annoyed with the constant silence I’m usually shrouded in. It’s just too damn lonely. I brush it off as best I can and keep on trucking. 

I’m on the outskirts of Sleepy Hollow when I stop. I’ve sort of been travelling without any real purpose. Just wandering. New York is a big place in the apocalypse. I have no actual destination. I’m just trying to live. If you can even call it that. I pull off at a quaint, small town. Maybe I can get supplies in peace here. Yeah, right. It’s a nice idea though. I leave my car where I can easily find it again. I take to the rooftops once more, feeling safer than at ground level. Too many creepers and bad things down there. 

I’m just about to pick a house to loot, when I hear talking. Like… actual living, breathing human beings. People, that aren’t dead. I suck in a gasp of air. It startles me, how long I’ve gone without human contact. I inch in the general direction of the voices. I stare down, letting it sink in. There are two women and three men. I’m astonished at the realization that these may be the first decent people I’ve seen in months. If they are decent, anyways. They are clearly at ease with one another. No one seems uncomfortable or out of place, which is usually a good sign. I observe for a few more minutes, they are talking and laughing and looking for useful things, before deciding to approach them. Hopefully it won’t be a mistake. I can’t afford it to be. 

I’m scaling the side of the building, slowly getting closer, when the inevitable has to go and happen. With my luck, it’s really no big shock. I slip and lose my footing and go plummeting, landing forcefully on top of the nearest person. I wasn’t super far from the ground, at least. We both collapse in the dirt, the lady I fell on letting out a surprised yelp. She springs to her feet, aiming a gun at me. As I shake the dizziness from my brief tumble, I look up to see all of them staring at me with shock and curiosity. I scramble backwards, stirring up dust, eyes widening almost comically. I hold my arms over my head and face, as if that will actually help in the long run. I’m too stunned to think to grab my handguns off my hips. Also, if I try to, they might just shoot me out of reaction. It’s a dog eat dog world, or man eat man, however you want to see it. I grimace, awaiting my fate. Yet, nothing happens. I hear a low, amused chuckle. “She’s obviously harmless. Put that away.” A male voice says. “If you say so Doc…” says a female back. It comes from right in front of me, so it must be the lady I fell on. I slowly lower my arms, still somewhat afraid. “Well, I’ll be darned. Poor thing can’t be more than 18.” The one called Doc speaks. “I’m 21!” I’m taken aback by the raspy, gritty sound that’s supposed to be my vocals. I put my hand to my throat in bewilderment. “Get her some water!” A red haired girl exclaims. I shake my head at her. “It’s not lack of water. I just haven’t used my voice much in a while.” I croak out. It’s the most words I’ve said out loud in a very long time. “Huh. Why haven’t you talked much?” A young blond guy asks next. “I’ve been on my own. I haven’t had contact with anyone.” I answer, beginning to get control over my vocal chords again. “For how long?” Doc asks, he’s an older man. “…6 months.” I tell them honestly. 

The red haired girl actually gasps. “Well. We’re going to change that. I’m Roberta Warren. Call me Warren. This is Doc, Addy, Mack, and Charlie. You’re welcome to join us. There are others. We have a camp. Unless you’d rather be alone…” Warren trails off. I shake my head furiously. As I said, I’m done being by myself. Charlie offers me a hand, and I take it carefully, pulling my rump out of the dirt finally. “So, 21 you say? You’re about Addy and I’s age.” Mack tilts his head, directing his gaze to me. “Yeah. My birthday was while I was by myself.” I answer, shuffling my feet under the scrutiny. “Quit grilling her!” Addy barks, elbowing Mack. “Yeah! She’s obviously been through enough.” Charlie chides him. Mack ducks his head ashamedly. “So, what’s your name darlin’?” Doc asks, smiling genuinely. “Oceana.” I reply openly. I haven’t used it or said it in so long, I almost forgot. “We can finish collecting gear, and then take Oceana back for some much needed rest.” Warren tells the group. Everyone nods their agreement. I still wasn’t 100% sure if I trusted them yet, but I knew I already liked them. I just hope my instincts haven’t led me astray. They haven’t yet, so fingers crossed, because I can’t afford it.

“You sure you’re up to supply hunting with us? I mean, you literally fell into our lives.” Mack asks, smiling at his own joke. I find I am smiling too, despite myself. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’m used to it.” I nod, wanting so badly to find real companionship in this mismatch group. Who knows, I may get lucky this time. 

“This place looks as good as any.” Warren motions at a quaint cottage style home. So we go in. Fortunately, there’s no one and no thing waiting. We gather cans and bags of food and water. We also find melee weapons and ammunition for the guns we hold so dear. “Wow. Who would’ve known granny kept such fun toys around.” Doc says, inclining his head at the lacey, country style setting. I know it’s probably inappropriate, but I snort outwardly, covering my mouth with my palm to hide my giggling. “I like this one already.” Doc announces, letting out a boisterous laugh. I shrug nonchalantly, feigning innocence.

We pack up and take off for their base camp, which apparently goes by the name of Camp Blue Sky. A bit too cheery for my taste, considering it’s the stinking apocalypse. Hey, whatever works I guess. 

Disregarding the name, it’s a pretty neat place. There are all kinds of people milling about. I stare, intrigued, and most of them stare right back. I hold my head high, walking through with confident pride. I refuse to look weak. Any form of timid-ness or weakness can mean death in this world. Doc grins in humor at my holier-than-thou stance. I huff at him and go about my merry way. He holds his hands out in a gesture of defeat. He’s still laughing though. I find myself grinning as I walk away. 

A moment later Addy comes to me, pointing at one of the tents set up nearby. “You’re welcome to stay with me tonight, if you’d like.” I nod. “That sounds good to me.” With that, she leads me over there to leave my backpack. I crouch and step inside, amazed. It’s incredibly hard to find anything that smells even remotely good in the state of things, yet Addy’s tent is a burst of refreshing scents. It’s like lavender, vanilla, and chamomile. I nearly cry with the joy it brings me. I lay my belongings down, and nearly roll around to rub it on my body, but somehow I restrain myself. I sigh, grinning like a lunatic. It’s the little things. 

I keep my guns strapped on, my rifle on my back, my machete at my waist, not to mention the knives hidden in my boots… I come prepared. You just never know what’s out there anymore. “Come on. It’s dinnertime! You can meet some of the others.” Addy beckons me to follow her. I trot along behind her, still grateful for their honesty and kindness.  
We reach an area full of picnic tables and a fire pit. Some people are cooking over the open flames. “You can sit between Marianna and me over there.” Addy flicks her head at a women sitting at one of the benches. We go and join her, among others already seated. “Well, look what the z’s dragged in. What’s your name sweetheart?” Marianna asks roughly, but there’s an edge of friendliness to her tone. I assess her quickly. She’s middle aged, maybe 30’s. She’s got tan skin, but not overly so. It’s more natural. She has shoulder length auburn hair and nice dimples. She’s beautiful and caring, I decide. I hold my palm out. “I’m Oceana. It’s nice to meet you.” I greet her politely. The corners of her mouth twitch upward. She shakes my hand firmly. “Pleasures all mine Oceana. Now, come sit. I’m curious as to how a young thing like you came to be with our friends.” I sit. It’s obvious she won’t have it any other way.

Bowls of chili and crackers are placed in front of all of us on the table. Oh, goodie, more stale crackers. I sigh. “So, tell us your story girlie.” Marianna urges me, snapping me out of my own thoughts. I glance around to see that the whole table, plus the other ones as well, are all staring at me, waiting to hear of my adventures. I clear my throat. “Well, six months ago I was with a group of about 20, but we were separated and I ended up on my own. I tried to find them, but to no avail. So I moved on. I scavenged, searched, and learned how to survive. As best I could anyways. I was flitting around not far from here, when I fell on Warren. Now, here I am.” I explain, leaving out a lot of details. There are some things I’m not quite ready to tell yet. Maybe never. “She literally did too! It was crazy. She fell off a fire escape. I’m lucky to be alive.” Warren jokes, laughing at the memory from earlier. “Yeah! They were right next to me. I nearly pissed myself.” Mack adds, smiling from ear to ear. “Serves her right, for sneaking around the way she was.” Doc says, sending me a look. “I have to admit, our expressions were probably pretty priceless though.” Charlie chimes in. 

“Hey! How was I supposed to know you weren’t bad?!” I laugh, defending my position. “So worth it for the crash landing.” Addy giggles next to me. “Pssh. Yeah, it was damn funny.” I agree reluctantly. “We’ll both be bruised for a week from that.” Warren says with fake exasperation. I feel a warmth fill my middle at the positive attention of these people. “Okay! You shared, so I will too.” Marianna directs at me. I look over at her with interest. I’m actually incredibly curious to hear what she has to tell and say. “It all started back in the beginning. My boyfriend of the time and I left at the first sign of danger. He quickly became paranoid and aggressive. He couldn’t deal with any of it. So believe me, I wasn’t that sad when a year ago, he got bitten and I had to put him down. By then he was already lost. A few months after that, our very own Warren found me. I was half starved. She took me in and got me back on my feet. Been with these nerds ever since.” Marianna finishes, rolling her eyes at the looks of sympathy a few people give her. ”None of that! I’m happier now than I’ve been since this whole thing started.” She waved away the sentiments. A few of the others nodded in understanding. She was a tough cookie, and I could learn from her. 

Were interrupted when a piercing scream fills the clearing. I jump to my feet, ready to face the threat. It’s time to show these guys what I’m truly made of. Before anyone else can even react, I’m already charging towards the area the sound came from. I find a girl that’s about ten years old, enclosed by 5 zombies. I whip out my handguns, taking out four of them before the last one gets too close. I kick it back with my foot, knocking it over. I shoot it easily after that. I turn to the child. “You okay?” I ask her, kneeling down. “Yes.” She responds very shakily. “Oh my god! Lindsey, baby. Are you alright?!” A women cries out, rounding the edge of the house were behind. “Yes, Mommy! That lady saved me.” She exclaims to her Mom excitedly. I breathe out a sigh of utter relief. Warren, Charlie, and the others come running up. They gape in pure astonishment. “…You do realize you just took all of those out in about ten seconds, maybe less.” Warren nods at the fallen undead. “So?” I shrug. I don’t know what else to say. “We’ve definitely underestimated your abilities, I’d say.” Charlie looks almost amused at the shock of Warren, Addy, and Mack. “I take back that harmless comment.” Doc hums in approval. “Wow. You are seriously badass.” Mack’s jaw is still hanging open slightly. Addy raises an eyebrow and drags him away. “You wish you were that cool.” She laughs at his amazement. I just shuffle my toes, almost embarrassed by the assessing looks. Marianna chuckles and leads me away. She doesn’t seem all that surprised, which I guess is a compliment in a way.  
“How come you aren’t blown away by my shooting talent like everyone else?” I question, if only because I knew none of them know of my past endeavors with gun training. “I can sometimes sense things in others. I can tell who the tough ones are when I see them. It’s a gift.” She gives me a wink, and I smile back. “Well! It’s getting late. I’m off to bed. See you in the morning sugar.” Marianna gives a wave as she enters the tent zone. 

I go and sit by the river for a bit, winding down for the night. I try to compile my thoughts and sort out all the events of the day. I never could have foretold that I’d end up here. I suck in some fresh, crisp air, enjoying how relaxing it is as it sinks in. It’s so hard to enjoy anything, always afraid it will be ripped away again. Even this place feels too good to be true. I wasn’t sure how to feel or what to expect, but I was just hoping it would go as well as anything could in these dark days. Everything seems to be tainted and wrong all the time anymore. I’m trying to learn how to cope and accept it. I hoist myself back to my feet, deciding to call it a night. 

I duck into the tent quietly, and Addy is already there, asleep. I unfold the sleeping bag I acquired from Warren earlier, and get into it noiselessly, attempting not to wake Addy. Almost the minute my head hits the pillow, I’m out like a light. The nightmares seem to be staying away nicely. You won’t find me complaining. 

I’m stirred out of slumber by an intruding voice. “Good morning! Time to get up newbie. Breakfast and then we get to learn what you’re made of, Miss sharp shooter.” It’s Mack. I groan, already missing my peaceful state of comfort. “What do you mean?” I ask, voice cracking due to the dryness of my mouth. “Warren and Charlie want to test your endurance. Say… take you on a trial run. Find out what you’re good at. They’ll back you up, if need be.” Mack explains, sounding too cheery for what he’s telling me. “None of us think you’ll need it though.” Addy pops up beside Mack. “That’s great and all, but… what do you mean by trial?” I am utterly baffled about what’s going on. “Why don’t you tag along and come figure it out for yourself.” Addy says mysteriously, but with a twinkle in her eye. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I follow them to the rest of our fellow campers.

I find Warren, Charlie, Doc, Marianna, and pretty much the rest of everyone in this place. Why am I not surprised? “Don’t look so worried! I don’t know what these two told you, but it’s really not too bad. We just want to learn more about your skills. So we know what to expect out in the field. So we can be compatible when working side by side. You don’t have to do it, though I really think you’d be a great candidate. Make sense?” Marianna asks, looking completely confident about the whole situation. I calm a little, trusting the older woman for some reason. I nod. “Okay. I’ll go with your trials. First though, what exactly does that entail?” I question back, because there’s no way I’m going into this without some semblance of a clue about what to expect. “Oh, you know. Hitting targets, hunting, looting, fire starting, and building. Those kinds of things.” Warren gives me the down low. Huh. Alright then. “Fine. What’s first?” I tilt my chin up, showing I can handle any challenge they throw at me. Doc snorts and Marianna hides a brief smile. Warren cocks an eyebrow. “We’ll start with shooting. Just follow us. We’ll take you to the target range we have set up.” Charlie announces, and we all turn towards a clearing that’s several yards away. 

“There are ten targets throughout this spot. See if you can find them all.” Mack tells me, motioning to the surrounding trees and rocks. I count and sure enough, there are ten, all in different places, at different heights, lengths, and angles from where we all stand. “I’ve found them. Now what? Just shoot them?” I seriously can’t wait to really bring out what I’m capable of. “Sort of. The only rule is that you’re timed and judged by amount of time needed to hit them all and how close to the center you are.” Addy acknowledges me. I puff out my chest, cracking my knuckles. “Bring it.”

“One, two, three… go!” Warren shouts, and believe me, I do. Charlie is counting, keeping time, and Marianna will be checking the targets once I’m done. I hit the first three with practiced ease. The next two don’t take long either. The last five take a bit more time, due to distance and being more constricted from view. The second I hit the last one, Warren calls time. “Forty-seven seconds.” Charlie informs the group. There are a few murmurs and whispers behind me. Marianna checks all of them over. She stands up tall and erect. “Two of them hit the ring next to the center. All the other eight were bullseyes though.” There’s complete silence for a moment. “…Damn.” Mack breaks it. “I’m pretty sure that’s a new record.” Even Addy looks impressed. Charlie and Warren and even Doc are smiling proudly. “We made a good find in you, kid.” Doc says genuinely. I feel happiness swell inside me. Marianna pats me on the back as she walks up. “Fantastic job so far Oceana.” “Thanks… but there are tasks yet to finish.” I respond quietly. “Indeed. The next one is hunting. We’re going to give you one hour to bring back some kind of animal for supper. Our bellies being full depends on you. Your time starts now. Good luck.” Warren sends me off with a gentle shove. “Oh great, that’s reassuring. No pressure.” I toss back, watching her smile impishly as I leave. 

So away I go, on an adventure. I walk a good three or four miles before scoping out a good climbing tree. I adjust my guns and shimmy up the trunk, perching gently on a flat branch. I catch a whiff of pine, grass, wood, and dirt. It smells good, like something new and young and innocent. I sit very still and wait for whatever creature comes along first. It doesn’t take long before a rabbit hops into view. I aim my rifle and I’m about to shoot, when a turkey wanders out as well. Boy, I’m going to have to move fast to accomplish my goal. I aim once, pulling the trigger. The rabbit falls and I swiftly turn on the turkey as it shuffles away at the sound of the previous gunshot blast. I take it out too. I fist bump the air, cheering outwardly. The adrenaline soars through me at my feat. As I’m climbing down, I realize too late my firing brought other attention. The not so good kind. There is a semi large crowd of z’s coming at me. I grab my recently acquired food, then I take out about six before knowing it’s a futile effort. I sprint back the way I came, hoping they’ll assist me back at Camp Blue Sky. I tear through the edge of camp, screaming for help. “Marianna! Doc! Mack! Addy! Anyone!” I hear a brief ruckus, and they all come barging around the corner, carrying guns and axes and the likes. I join them, turning to face the undead. My jaw drops. There are around thirty of them stumbling this way. Well then. I guess I better get to work. I counter attack, seeing the others brandishing their gear. I destroy the ones closest to me and watch as one closes in on Charlie. I put it down before it can put him down. He turns and nods his thanks at me. Within a few minutes, they’re all down, with no casualties. I release the breath I’ve been holding. “We didn’t expect you to bring guests.” Warren emphasizes her words with a kick to a fallen zombie. “Funny thing, neither did I.” I mumble, wiping sweat from my brow. Mack muffles a slight laugh. Addy elbows him, but laughs all the same. “On the bright side, I got dinner!” I exclaim, holding up the fresh meat. 

“It’s lunch time and the food is almost done. So we’ll have someone prepare them for the evening meal.” Charlie tells me, taking the dead animals and giving them to a couple of people over by the fire pit. I nod and we join everyone for corned beef hash. I contemplate my theories and ideas about what else to expect and how to approach it. There are so many, I don’t even know where to start. It’s all a jumble, so I give up. Needless to say, I don’t eat much, which is probably bad, since I rarely get enough food as is. I certainly won’t have to worry about my body and calorie intake anytime soon.

After lunch, I get ready for the next task. “We’ll be sending you on a scavenger hunt of sorts. You’ll be given a list of ten things to bring back and you’ll have two hours to get them. Warren! The list, if you will please.” Charlie lets me know the rules of my next mission. “Your time starts now. See you soon kid.” Warren hands me the list. “Here. Keys to that silver car over there. We all believe in you Oceana. You’ve already proven yourself. It is cool that you’re doing the challenges though. We always get excited at new recruits who actually agree to them.” Marianna places said keys in my palm, sending me a friendly glance. I nod my thanks. “I’ll try not to let you down then.” With that, I take what I need and get into the designated vehicle.  
I drive back to the nearby town, knowing there should be enough houses and buildings to get what I need. I stop at the first one I see, it’s tan and brown, simple and plain. They said I could bring along two people, if I wanted. I chose not to because I’m used to doing this alone. I need to prove myself further, as much as possible to this troop. They deserve my trust and full devotion. So they’ll get it. 

I enter as silently as I can, pulling out the list when I know there’s no awaiting trouble. The first thing on it is to find a shotgun. Let the search begin. I zoom through the house, debating where to check for weaponry. I find a gun cabinet in the bedroom. Inside I find several handgun rounds, some arrows, and, score, a shotgun! I take all of it, figuring why not. The second and third items are both food. They are two gallons of water and five cans of food. Okay. Shouldn’t be too hard. Unless this place has already been looted, than I’m screwed.

I skip to the kitchen, fully intent on making the most of my two hours of looting freedom. I throw open the cupboards, only finding one can of food and a couple of dead mice. Great. Only four more to go. I dig through the stuff under the sink. I find one gallon of water! This is going almost scary good in my favor. The next item is two cans of paint, followed by one bag of rice. Hmm. Things were getting trickier. 

I make my way back to the car, dropping off what I’ve already gained. I see a large, expensive looking home and go there next. It’s bound to have some useful junk lying around. The front door is all bashed and battered, as if something broke through it. It seems that someone had tried to board it off, in an attempt to keep all the monsters out. It certainly didn’t work. I swallow hard, shoving out all the thoughts of what may have happened here previously. I have a job to do. I raid the kitchen right away. The cupboards are huge, hell, everything in this place is. On a good note, I find six cans of food, bringing my total to seven. I also find three gallons of water, meaning I now have four. This is fantastic! I also find the bag of rice. Well two to be technical. I go to the cellar and pull out the list. Three unopened bottles of wine and three unopened bottles of vodka. I find all six of them, and then some. I decide to take some whisky, schnapps, and rum as well. Never know when you might want a drink. The next two items are four pairs of jeans and six t-shirts. Also, a coil of wire. The last item is… two rolls of duct tape. Nothing too crazy. 

I cautiously enter the garage, afraid of what might be lurking. I search quickly, slowly running out of precious minutes. I find everything but the clothes. I take all the lucky finds to the car before attempting one last go upstairs in the bedroom. There are a few dressers. Bingo! I open them up and see more than enough clothing in them. I take it all. Mission complete! There’s no time to rejoice though. I’m just finishing shoving it in my bag, when the groaning starts up. I whip my head around to see a handful of z’s coming at me. I zip the pack and bail. I race to my car and hightail it out of the little city. 

I donut the car a few times before parking when I get back to camp. I jump out and let out a whoop of ecstasy. “Well? How’d you do?” Mack asks, bubbling in his excitement. “I got all of it and then some!” I cry out happily. “Woohoo! That’s wonderful!” Addy joins the celebration. “Well done! Did you run into any trouble?” Charlie asks me, nodding at my pile of spoils. “I got chased by a few z’s, but nothing I couldn’t handle.” I lift my chin proudly, knowing I look cocky and not caring right now. They don’t need to know about the fact that I ran and drove off. “That’s my girl.” Marianna comments with a wink, and a knowing smile. My ego swells just slightly, I won’t lie. It’s only because I know Marianna means her words. “So… what’s next?” I just can’t wait because I’m even beginning to impress myself. I didn’t know I could be this successful either, honestly. “Whoa, now! Patience.” Marianna laughs, waving to where Charlie and Warren are standing near the dining area, next to a crate of random supplies. I trek over to them, a pep in my step. “What’s the new challenge that awaits me?” I give the crate a once over. “You have another two hours to build whatever you can out of the contents of the stuff you see here.” Warren points to the pile. “Time to begin. It will be… interesting to see what you come up with. Have fun.” Charlie nods smiling, then leaves me to it. 

I pour over the items, making a mental list of what’s available. I’ve got batteries, wire, duct tape, light bulbs, and small glass sheets. This is too easy. I get down to it, taping the glass in the shape of a square. I add a bottom as well. I tape some wire to the batteries, and make a holder of sorts on top. I set it in the box and make a handle and tape it to opposite edges, so it’s safe to carry. I hold my breath and set the light bulb in the holder. When it lights up, I grin at my success. I realize that was too obvious a thing to make, so I continue laboring. I build a frame of sorts to be a flashlight. I hook the wire to the batteries again and tape them to the handle. I make a thick layer of tape at the base, so as not to get burnt by the batteries or bulb. I insert the bulb and rejoice when it also lights up. I’m able to make three of them before running out of bulbs. I then get a great idea. I grin evilly at my genius. I take the crate and extra wire to the forest’s edge. I set up a quick trap, fingers crossed I’d snare another rabbit or turkey or something for more food. I practically dance back, giddy in my excitement at my forged devices. “I’m done!” I yell as my group approaches. 

As they watch and learn how the stuff works, I can tell they’re blown away all over again. “Then what were you doing by the woods?” Mack is clearly lost. “I used the last of the wire and the crate to make a trap. Maybe we’ll get lucky and get another rabbit or something.” I shrug, not making a big deal about it. Everyone kind of gapes at me. “Of course you did.” Warren shakes her head in disbelief. “The kids a show off.” Doc states, clearly joking around, but obvious pride on his face. I send him my arrogant look, knowing he’ll laugh, and he does, to my delight. “I guess it’s time for the last trial.” Addy throws out. “Which is…?” I ask, preparing for anything. “Fire starting. Let’s head over to the picnic tables.” Charlie leads the way. 

“The whole point of this is to make sure you are capable of getting fire, whether it be for cooking, defense, protection, whatever. It’s up to you to figure out how to go about it. You won’t always have flint or gasoline, so you must do it by hand. You have half an hour. See you soon champ.” Marianna lays down the rules. As she walks off, Charlie turns to me. “I’m pretty confident you’ve got this.” He says, nodding his approval. 

I get started by putting some dead grass on top of the logs. I then take a sharp twig and twirl it against the top one. I take two rocks and clank them ungracefully. It gets the job done though. A few sparks fly and hit the grass. I start spinning the stick again. I alter back and forth until a small flame appears. Within fifteen minutes, there’s a roaring fire. I have excelled, yet again. I’m surrounded by people giving me praise and congratulations. I get pats on the back and handshakes from a good chunk of the survivors at Camp Blue Sky. “You have passed with flying colors! Now. For those critters you got us for supper. We’re having corn as well.” Marianna tells me, nearly bursting with pride. She hauls me over and we sit down together. We’re soon joined by Charlie, Warren, Doc, Addy, and Mack. Everyone is chatting away, thrilled with my achievements. Soon, there is food on the table. I’m amazed at how talkative I am this time. I got used to everyone, I suppose. Though being around other human beings still makes me jumpy and nervous.

“So! Tell us more about yourself.” Marianna demands, once we’ve all started eating. “What do you want to know?” I ask her, hoping it’s nothing I don’t want to say. “Simple things. Favorite color, favorite food, those kinds of facts.” She shrugs, clearly just curious. So I oblige. “My favorite color is purple. For food, it’s probably pizza, which I may never have again. I like swimming and the beach. I’m more of a dog person. I love birds and I don’t love spiders. I used to enjoy people watching too.” I ramble, reminiscing about better days. Back when holding it together was easier, as it could be anyway. It’s never really easy. Doc and Marianna grin as Mack, Addy, and Warren, even Charlie, smile at me. It’s unprecedented, but welcome. I’m not sure I deserve it, but I’ll take it. We continue discussing things from before the shit hit the fan. It’s kind of nice, actually. We continue talking for about an hour. 

“Well, I’d love to stay longer, but I’m tired.” I tell the group, standing up. Everyone nods their acknowledgement. I wave goodbye and head for Addy’s tent. The minute I lie down, I’m out. 

I’d like to say I wake to the sound of birds, or laughter, or something charming. It’s Mack again, ugh. “What?” I demand, my grumpy side showing a bit. “Just wondered if you want to help get more supplies. Other than that, there isn’t much going on. Except… well you can learn about that soon. Warren and Charlie can explain better than me. In the meantime, you up for it?” Mack says, catching my interest and making me curious. I leave it for now. “Might as well. I’m already up.” I wave him off, so I can get dressed and be somewhat presentable. It’s still fricking dark. I use a flashlight and a small handheld mirror to adjust my face and hair. I have long blond hair, about mid-back, and lightly tanned skin. I have brown eyes that would look nice if they weren’t so bloodshot from lack of sleep and stress. I only have minimal makeup on, since finding and getting it is more a hassle than necessary. I let out a sigh, disgruntled. I kind of miss my vanity.

I leave the tent, yawning in the early morning dew. It’d be almost pleasant, if I wasn’t so worried about dead people. Before I get far, Warren pulls me aside. “Charlie and I need to speak to you. It’s rather important.” She looks almost tense with apprehension of some kind. “Alright. Sure. What’s up?” I ask, now weary at her discomfort. “Come on. Charlie is just starting shift by the river. We’ll make it quick.” Warren leads me to him. The water is surprisingly clear, and inviting. I wish I could take a dip in it. Alas, I have to deal with real world shit. 

The following conversation is not quite what I expect. “So let me get this straight… you’re having a funeral for someone who’s still alive, but… you’re putting her down basically? Because she’s too old to live in a world like this and she’s ready to die?” I stare, eyes glazed, trying to fully comprehend and let it sink in. “Yes. We know you’re new here, and if you don’t want to participate, you don’t have to.” Warren explains and I nod. “No… it’s okay. I understand. I’ll attend.” I tell her, though it still frightens me a bit. If it’s her choice… I have no reason to interfere or judge. “Thank you. It means a lot. I’m glad you’re willing to listen and be understanding.” Warren deflates with relief. I nod and we head back for the ceremony. Why it had to be this early though, was anyone’s guess.

We made our way into the house, where an old lady lay, somehow looking exhausted and feisty at the same time. I smiled, yet felt sad too. I knew what was about to happen. We all gathered round and a small group of girls held candles and sang. “To Nana Griswold, a true survivor!” A man salutes, and we all take drinks from our cups and mugs. It’s whisky or something, and the burn is much welcomed in my throat, easing a small amount of my stressed sorrow. “Not many Grandmas left these days, especially as old as Nana was. How old was she anyway?” He continues, looking at her with fondness. “Sixty-three.” The woman next to him says, smiling. “Well that’s old!” He exclaims, laughing. “Sixty-four, and I’m not dead yet!” Nana Griswold chides, sending them a look. I already like this lady. It’s no wonder they’re here to honor her wishes. “Which I think it’s time.” Nana adds. The woman sits by her, kissing her forehead. “You can all go now.” She announces to the room. So we leave. Warren stays. She’s the one “giving her mercy,” as they put it here. It certainly is the most pleasant way I’ve heard it phrased before.

I wait outside a few moments, listening to the girls singing again. They sound lovely, though somewhat sad and maybe scared. They probably should be, with the way things are going. There’s a brief jump to their notes as the gun goes off. They keep to their song and I just stare at the ground, not sure what else to do. Marianna walks up. “You handled it well, you know. It’s good you know what’s going on and you get it. Now go find Mack and Addy. Warren went to talk to Charlie. We have some… visitors.” She praises me, then goes off to find the other two. I want to know who these “visitors” are, but I also know not to be a snoop. At least, not this time. So, Mack and Addy it is. I find them canoodling under a tree. “Oh, gag me.” I announce my presence to them. Mack laughs as Addy smacks him away. “What’s up Oceana?” He asks, cocky grin on his face. “Nothing. I was going to see if you wanted to get some breakfast, now I wish I hadn’t.” I joke, smiling at the two I now call friends. “Actually, I am pretty hungry. Let’s go.” Addy takes the hand I offer, pulling herself to her feet. We eat a quick meal of dry fruit and bread. 

Soon after, Doc approaches, posing an interesting question. “You lot want to go get some cool, new weapons?” We all look at each other, before staring back at Doc. “That was a ridiculous thing to ask.” I snort at him, grabbing my pack off the bench. Addy and Mack follow suit and we take off with Doc. 

We meet up with a couple of almost shady looking dudes, but they seem not to mean any harm. If Doc trusts them, I’ll let it be. I still won’t get too close or anything. We make introductions before getting right down to business. They go by Sketchy and Skeezy McClain. I prefer just beard dude and stick man. The back of their truck is full of all kinds of sweet goodies. I practically drool. I’m all set on firearms, but I see some awesome, amped up melee ones that I’m dying to test out. “If availability of ammo is all you care about, than the twenty-two is the way to go, but, you really want to make an impression, check out this smoke wagon. You’d really make a z’s day with this.” The bearded guy says, handing a gun to Addy. “The twenty-two, that’ll kill a z, but it’s going to be about two or three shots before the things down and dead. This baby, you could stop a car with this.” He continues on his tirade. “I was thinking something more silent.” Addy interrupts. I nod my agreement. “Silent, but deadly.” I throw out, just for good measure. “Yeah. A club, but sharp.” Addy tells him. “Yeah, I like how you gals think. Silent, but affective. Check this out.” He pulls out a bat with spikes welded onto it. Pretty cool. “Made it myself. I call it the z whacker. Start with an aluminum bat, then you customize it. For the task at hand. The spikes are hand cast from beer cans. They’re long enough that they kill the brain but you can still pull it out, because nothing is worse than getting your pipe stuck in a z’s skull. Then you got to drag them down to the ground, put your foot on their chest and yank it out. By then you’re dead, you know what I mean.” Beard guy yammers on. “I sure do.” Addy comments back. She swings it around a few times, getting a feel for it. “What’s that?” I ask, pointing at a glorified axe of sorts. “I never really named it. I took an axe and welded the head of another one to it so it has a blade on both sides. I also added a spike to the top of it for an easy kill shot. Also, aluminum.” Sir Beard explains. “Huh. I’ll take it. I’m calling it Double Nope.” I announce. Addy giggles slightly while Mack nods his approval. “Well alright then.” Bearded wonder agrees, nodding along with us.

I trudge up to Doc and the other man, the skinny one. “How about a straight across trade. A dozen of these aspirin for a dozen of these reloaded two twenty-three’s.” Doc says, bargaining a trade for his pharmaceuticals. “You can’t kill a zombie with aspirin.” Stick dude says. “You can’t kill a fever with a bullet! They aren’t making anymore aspirin.” Doc retorts admirably. “Make it a dozen OxyContin and you got a deal.” Twig says, holding his ground. “I’d have to take a dozen OxyContin before I’d make that deal.” Doc grumbles, making me laugh. “How about some meth, huh? You want some crystal? I make it myself.” Doc offers, watching the other guy light up. “That the same pink ice stuff you made before? No, that stuff gave me an axe to the skull headache.” Mr. Broom snuffs. “No, that’s what the aspirins for!” Doc keeps up the fight. I chuckle, turning at the sound of beard’s voice. “How many doses of morphine you got left?” he joins the bantering. 

We don’t make it far when were intruded on by an unwelcome visitor. A z comes shuffling up, and there’s no time for fear, because Addy thwacks it a good one with her new toy. It goes down instantly. We all sort of nod our approval. “Nice. Are you okay? That was a little close.” Mack asks, gazing at the dead thing on the ground. “Yeah. That was a fast one.” She nods, crinkling her eyebrows. She notions to the beard guy with her weapon. “Brutal.” “Told you.” He shrugs. “Isn’t that Red Hanson?” “Z’s got Red? Damn, he was one of our best customers, tough as bullets. I wonder if his brothers know.” Stick continues, looking appalled. “Yeah, I think so, because here they come.” Beard retorts. Sure enough, two more dead’s come gurgling up. Mack shoots the first one and Addy and I move to take a swing at the second. We both connect at the same time, but somehow, neither blow kills it. Mack happily puts some metal in its brain with his shiny, new gun. I nod in his direction. “Thanks.” One last one goes for Mack, but gets taken down by beanpole and hairy. I really need to use their names. “Closing time!” They shout, and start packing up their gear and goods. They take off in their creeper van and we trek in the direction of our camp. “The way that big one moved, he must’ve turned a few hours ago.” Doc observes. “It would seem so.” I agree, disturbed by the thought and what it means. “Four brothers, recently turned, found on Millers road by Ciders Farm. Given mercy, May fifteenth, three A.Z.” Addy records on her tiny device. “Time to go.” Mack pats her back lightly. 

I let out a gasp of horror when we get to a viewpoint of the camp, or what’s left of it anyways. There are flames and smoke and I can’t see any people. I start to charge around the lake, to go help, but I’m stilled by Doc’s voice. “Don’t hun. It’s not worth it.” I know he’s right, but it still pisses me off. “I just found a new group, finally! Now, after three days, it’s already…” I trail off, throwing my hand at the scene laid out in front of us. “Yeah, I know it hurts all of us and well, you have us for sure.” Addy tells me, wrapping her arms around me. I freeze for just a second before hugging her back tightly. “You have me too.” I respond, squeezing before letting go. “I’m going to try and radio Charlie and Warren, just in case.” Doc says, pulling out a walkie-talkie. 

“Mayday, mayday! Calling Camp Blue Sky! This is Doc, what is your situation, over!” he asks, rushing through his words. “Hey, Doc, what’s going on?!” I hear Charlie respond almost immediately. I feel a tiny bit of relief at his voice, knowing probably a few others survived. “Garnett, thank god you’re alive! We thought everyone was dead.” Doc exclaims, frantically grasping the talkie. “I’m not at Camp Blue Sky, what’s happening?” Charlie sounds baffled from the other end. Doc says something, but it goes through all static sounding. “Say again?” Charlie’s voice comes back. Suddenly, a giant boom erupts and a large cloud of smoke and fire billows over the camps remains. I cringe, looking away. “Blue Sky has been overrun, the whole place is on fire!!” Doc explains, vocals rising. “Survivors?” is Charlie’s only question. “Well, there was a ton of gunfire a while ago, but nothing since.” Doc informs him. The walkie gives a few half-hearted sputters before silencing. Doc shakes it and clunks it a few times. Nothing. “Come on!” he shouts, and we all take off, hoping to find some of our people. 

We reach the edge of the pine trees and find the dirt road that leads to the camp. We see the bus that is supposed to be used for reasons exactly like this. “There’s the escape bus!” Addy gasps, trying to catch her breath. “Oh, they got the kids out!” she exclaims. “Thank god.” I mutter, groping for some kind of reassurance. It doesn’t last long. A z pops up in one of the open windows near the back of the bus. My heart sinks. Without even needing words, we all race towards the rear entrance, set on helping. It veers off to the side and collides with a tree, coming to a halt. Were almost to it, when the doors fly open and zombies come charging out. I gulp hard, swallowing my fear and anxiety and sorrow, as we all turn tail and sprint away from the danger. All the running is tiring me out quickly. My endurance was never the best, though all the practice has made me tough. 

We get to the top of a hill and come to a screeching halt. I let a slight groan slip from my throat. The ones from camp are still behind us, but now there is a group of four z’s on the road in front of us too. “How the hell do we get out of this one?!” I shout indignantly. 

No sooner have I spoken, when a truck drives up and barrels over the undead in the road, someone throwing open the car doors. My eyebrows fly up in surprise. “Get in!” Charlie bellows through the open window of the front seat. A man in a military suit is the one in the vehicle who opened the back entrance. I figure we can ask questions later. For now, I think we all just want to be safe. Doc and I throw ourselves in the rear, as Mack and Addy scramble into the truck’s Cab. “Go, go, go!!” Mack yells loudly, smacking the side of the machine. We speed off, leaving the z’s in the dust. I try to steady my breathing, without much luck. My mind keeps rewinding back to all the people we’d lost today. All gone, bit and destroyed. Men, women, children… my hands start to shake. That little girl… Lindsey… I force myself to shove it down and deal with it later. There’s no time right now. “How many more?” Charlie’s voice breaks me out of my trance. “Nobody.” Doc shakes his head resolutely. “Nobody?!” Warren shrieks in disgust. I cringe, folding in on myself. “Nobody, I’m sure!!” Doc throws back. “Donna? Marianne?” Charlie asks, looking burnt out. “No, no one, there wasn’t even time to show any of them mercy.” Doc splutters out, stumbling over his own words. “There’s nobody back there but z’s. Sorry guys, we tried.” He finishes, features distraught. “It’s okay Doc. It’s not your fault.” Marianna whispers from the front. I slowly place my hand on Doc’s, still slightly shaky. Doc twines our fingers together, giving a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “There’s nothing left for them now but god’s mercy.” Charlie says, staring forward at the passing woods and sky. “It’s time to go then. Come on.” The military guy says. So onward we go.

I learn that his name is Mark Hammond. He’s a lieutenant and the last surviving member of Delta Force. It’s interesting to hear about, but I also feel bad because he’s lost all of his friends and comrades. War, the apocalypse, it’s all bad.

“I don’t know what we brought them along for.” Murphy says rudely. He and Hammond were our “visitors.” We are currently on a mission to transport them to a base set up nearby, to a facility where we can safely drop them off to continue their journey. So we can move on as well. “I’m sitting right here. Don’t be such an ass.” I spit out at him from the other side of Hammond. Doc smirks. “You heard the lady.” Murphy rolls his eyes. “Uh, because they’re human beings and deserve to live.” Warren adds, glancing back from the steering wheel. Murphy just gives a look of uncaring. “Hey, how much further to this rendezvous?” Charlie changes the subject completely, which is probably good, because Marianna looks positively furious. “Just a few more clicks. Got some vehicles and a team of killers waiting, though I wish I had ten times that.” Hammond responds, a hint of exasperation to his tone. “Should be up ahead to the left. The old high school set up a defense center at the base. I think there’s still some rations there.” Hammond finishes. “When was the last time you made contact with them?” Charlie seems curious, and I don’t blame him. “About a month ago.” Hammond tells him. I gape openly. “A month ago?! That’s like two years apocalypse time.” Warren says in astonishment. 

We pull up to the area in Sleepy Hollow to drop off the two beside me to complete their travels. It’s called operation bite-mark, which I still don’t understand. As I look around, I’m not sure what to think or expect. There’s smoke rising all over the place. It smells like ash and burnt wood when I inhale, my lungs filling with the musty air. It seems somewhat rundown and abandoned. The truck stops and Murphy leaps down, as do I. “Get back in the car.” Hammond barks as he climbs out. He does, but I certainly don’t. I’ve had about enough of that guy for now already. Hammond raises his gun, approaching with slow caution. I draw a sharp breath, keeping my levels steady, despite my growing concern. I raise up Double Nope, proceeding with steady, over-watchful steps. “Is it them?” Charlie questions, also loading his weapon. “Hammond, is it them?!” Murphy shouts from the rolled down window of the truck. Mack and Addy are standing and poised in the cab, ready for anything. As am I. I’m near Hammond when we get our answer. A z comes crawling out from under the unused vehicle were next to. Well, half of one anyways. I crinkle my nose and look the other direction. It’s not that I can’t handle it, I’d just rather not at this point, since I don’t need to. “Yeah.” Hammond nods, shooting the pathetic creature. “I have to pee.” Murphy says out of nowhere, ruining the moment. I sigh with intense annoyance as he climbs back out. Charlie and Warren clamber over too. “Don’t go far.” Warren gives Murphy a look. “Don’t worry.” He says, unzipping his pants and turning slightly. Warren glares and walks away. “That guy is disgusting.” I mutter. “Tell me about it.” Marianna agrees with me. She must’ve decided to get out too. She has her gun cocked and prepared too. Were a tough group. 

“Our reinforcements are dead. We need to make a quick search for any survivors or supplies.” Hammond tells us, determination in his eyes. Great. Just what I didn’t want to hear. “You!” he yells at Murphy, catching his attention. ”Zip it up and stay close to me.” With an air of snootiness, Murphy does so. “Hey, where’d all the z’s go?” Addy speaks up from the truck cab. “Moving on. Like locusts.” Doc responds from next to her. “Yeah, but they’ll be back.” Hammond inserts. “Yippee.” I grunt sarcastically. “Garnett and Warren, you clear the building. Marianna, you too.” Hammond issues their task. They nod and go for it. “You four, check the vehicles!” Hammond calls out to Mack, Addy, Doc, and myself. Sounds easy enough. “It looks like they never had a chance.” I hear Charlie mutter. That’s the last thing I hear from them before going closer to Doc and the others again.  
I immediately scope out a nearby empty car and get to work. Fortunately, there’s no zombies in it. The backseat holds a bottle of water and a couple granola bars, which I take with greed. Food is going to become scarce again. The front seat holds nothing, but the glove compartment has some bullets, which I confiscate. “Hey, Oceana! You might want to come over here.” Mack calls to me. I jog up. “What’s going on?” “Were checking that area out over there. Figured we’d be safer with our sharpshooter.” Addy smiles at me. I grin. “Sure thing!” I respond, leading the way. 

We find a cage of sorts, surrounded by z’s. I prepare for the worst, gripping Double Nope in action position. “What are they after?” Addy asks, because it is a peculiar situation. “As long as it’s not me.” I huff quietly. “Tch, true.” Doc snickers. “Only one thing. Come on.” Mack says, logically. We all raise our blunt weaponry and attack the zombies before us. There aren’t many, so we have the advantage and they’re all gone within a couple of minutes. 

We all sort of glance at each other, a bit perturbed. There’s a girl kneeled down inside, not sure if alive or not yet. “Hey!” Mack calls to her lightly. “Hey, you all right?” he asks again, giving the bars a quick tap. When there’s no response, I go over to the padlocked gate and swing my axe at it, breaking it in one go. I rest it on my shoulder, smiling smugly. “Show off.” Mack says, elbowing me on his way inside. I shrug, though obviously pleased with myself. “Careful, she might be dead.” Addy warns him. Mack leans down in front of her and out of nowhere she springs on him, shoving him into the bars, knife at his throat. I’ll admit, I didn’t see that coming. “Whoa, whoa! Hey!” Addy shouts her protest. Doc chuckles. “Well, she isn’t dead!” he exclaims, half amused, half weary. 

“Hey! Hey, it’s okay. Were good people, we just saved you. Don’t hurt him.” Addy pleads with the girl. Mack holds his hands up in a placating manner. She stares at each of us in turn, her eyes piercing and judging. She’s clearly been through the ringer. She backs away slowly, seeming defeated. “Sorry. I didn’t know where I was. I must’ve fallen asleep.” She speaks timidly. “Asleep?! How long you been in this cage for?” Doc exclaims, questioning her with interest. “Two days.” She tells him, and I know she isn’t lying. Doc and Addy give each other a look, eyebrows raised. Mack’s eyes meet mine as my jaw drops. I regain my composure with haste and pull the bottle of water from my pack. I hold it out to her, a peace offering. Her dark brown eyes catch mine, and she takes the bottle with untrusting fingers. “My name is Oceana. The hot redhead is Addy. The old man is Doc. The sucker you almost killed is Mack. We have a few others too.” I inform her, hoping to gain a little ground. “Currently, we four are just gathering useful items. You’re welcome to join us. We’ll keep you safe.” I continue to try to comfort her in any way I can. She gives a small nod. “I can help. My name is Cassie.” She extends her hand to me. I shake it enthusiastically. “Pleasure to meet you. Let’s get to work!” I say as politely as I can. 

We gather what we can find and head back inside with the others. Charlie and Warren have found a baby. Where and how, I have no idea. I don’t know what to think or feel about that, especially since he won’t stop crying. So of course, Murph has to open his fat mouth. “You better shut that kid up before he attracts z’s like flies.” “Hey, it’s a baby. It makes noise, okay?” Charlie throws right back. “Shut up.” Hammond tells him. “And you, do what you can. He’s right about the z’s.” He turns to Charlie. I can’t blame them I guess. It is bad though. Zombies are the last thing we need. “Here.” Hammond offers a water bottle to Cassie. “I’m good for now.” She says quietly. “I gave her a bottle we found in an empty car.” I fill them in. Hammond nods his acknowledgement. “Why would somebody lock you in a cage and leave you to die? What’d you do?” he questions her harshly, though with good reason. “I didn’t do anything. I locked myself in the cage for protection.” Cassie explains herself. It makes sense to me, with the z’s and all. “You have the keys?” Hammond goes on. “I lost them.” Cassie counters, looking uncomfortable. “Why are you dressed like that?” Warren nods at her apparel. It’s a fair thing to ask. She’s wearing a black belly shirt and short shorts. A bit skimpy for an apocalypse apparently. “I don’t have to justify myself to you.” She barks out. “Maybe you do!” Hammond snaps back in her face. “We were supposed to meet the men in those vehicles. What happened here?” Hammond asks, getting close to her to prove his point. “Those men showed up about a week ago. They put up at the school and set up some kind of camp. Word got out that there was food. Lots of it. From the bomb shelter. Yeah, it didn’t take long. There were too many people. The soldiers shot some of the locals and that brought the z’s. You can guess the rest.” Cassie explains sharply. 

I tilt my head, listening intently. “Her story makes sense.” I look Hammond in the eye, daring him to say otherwise. “What are we wasting time talking to her for? Give her the baby and let’s go!” Murphy doesn’t even give Hammond time to be mad at me. “That wouldn’t help anyone!” Marianna gives Murph the stink eye. “We can’t give this girl a baby and leave.” Charlie sends him an almost poisonous look. “Well, they can’t come with us.” Murphy says to that. “You’re an asshole.” Marianna glares Murph down. “You’re no prize either lady.” Murph snorts his disapproval. “Listen!” Hammond tries to get them to stop bickering and focus. “No way am I leaving the baby and her behind. It’s not going to happen.” Charlie states with calm firmness. “It’s just a baby. It’s not like it’s going to grow up and be a fine young man someday.” Murphy doesn’t know when to shut it. “You know what, shut up!” Hammond commands, giving Murph a shove back. “We’ll take them to the next safe outpost.” Hammond tells Charlie. I sigh, feeling somewhat better. It would be inhumane to do anything else. “I hate moral dilemmas.” Hammond mutters under his breath. “Yeah, well what’s next chief? Want to start a college fund for him?” Murphy’s sarcasm is already wearing on me, all over again.

“You’re going to get smacked if you aren’t more careful.” Marianna grinds out, shooting daggers from her eyes. I would pay to see that right now. “Puppies and kittens! Two hundred yards away.” Warren shouts from the front entrance, where she’s been keeping an eye out. I groan. Everyone stands immediately, cocking guns and hoisting weapons. I already have Double Nope in my hands. Hammond looks confused. “Zombies.” Charlie brings him into the loop. “Alright everybody. Time to go.” Hammond announces, and no one disagrees. “You five. I want you to gather all the food and weapons you can find and load them in that truck. The keys are still inside.” He starts giving out commands once more. “Hey! We haven’t talked about this.” Mack yells at him. “We can talk about it later. Right now you do what I tell you.” Hammond puts Mack in his place. “Don’t worry about it for now.” I elbow him, and he goes silent.

“Garnett! You stay with the baby and Murphy until we get back. Warren, Marianna, we’re going to see if we can start up that other vehicle. Everybody meets back here in five.” Hammond finishes issuing orders and walks out. “Go!” he hollers when no one has moved yet. Everyone kicks into gear. Charlie nods and we all go to our destinations. I follow Doc, Mack, Addy, and Cassie out and back to the cars to be looted.

I cruise up to a tiny car, its driver side door already standing open. I hear what sounds like a couple of quiet, distant footsteps, but when I turn, there’s nothing there. Chills go up and down my spine. Places like this are really eerie when you’re by yourself. I should know, considering my half year stint alone. I shudder and fling myself into the car to grab what I can find. It smells of dust, leather, and something stale I can’t quite put my finger on. I glance at the backseat. Oh, dried blood. That’s what it is. I hurriedly grab the bottle of aspirin I found in the glove compartment and scoot away with haste. I’m getting freaked out and panicky, which are two things I don’t need to deal with at this specific moment.  
I see Cassie searching a nearby truck and I join her. We sift through the objects and junk in silence. It’s not the bad kind either, it’s the companionable kind. I’d call it a successful search too. We find some prescription pain pills, a water bottle, a couple cans of food, and a loaded first aid kit. 

We regroup with the clan and I toss Doc the aspirin and heavy duty prescription drugs. “Thought these would be of use, and right up your alley.” “Good job darlin.” Doc grins widely back at me, thrilled by the gift. We round a corner and there are dead z’s all over the ground. I grimace at the nasty sight. We start to check them, just in case there are any goods. I keep feeling like were being watched though. It’s weird, and makes me get jittery. 

Doc leans down to pull a knife out of a zombie’s chest. Were all surprised when it isn’t actually all the way dead. We all do this sort of scuffle dance around Doc as he holds the z off, trying to find an opening to put the sucker down. It’s proving to be difficult. He’s fresh, so he’s fast. Right as I’m about to say screw it, and grab one of the knives out of my thigh holsters, a bullet rings loudly, but true, going right through the z’s head and clean out the other side, while still missing all of us in the process. I twitch, a little unnerved, but still pretty impressed. We’re all looking around, trying to find our helper, when I see Doc’s eyes locked on the roof of the building nearest us. I turn just in time to see a silhouette crouching and sneaking away. I’m beginning to wonder if the noises I heard earlier and the feeling of being watched all day aren’t coincidence after all. Everything fits. Now, if only our mysterious savior would come forth. 

Soon, we all trod back towards Warren and Charlie by the door, when we see that Hammond, Murphy, and Marianna are coming back. “Where’s the baby?” Addy looks perturbed. “Turned.” Warren grinds out, looking upset. “Surprise, surprise.” Murphy should seriously mute it all together now. “Stop before I make you stop.” Marianna spits, getting a bit of a crazy expression on her face. Charlie grabs him by the collar and shoves him into the door, harshly. Hammond aims his gun at him. “Let him go, or I will send you to walk among the dead.” Charlie stares, but let’s Murphy go. “Let’s get in the trucks. We’re moving out.” Hammond’s eyes dart around uneasily at us all. “What about the baby? The… thing? We can’t just leave it like that.” Warren gestures at the door and the horrid sounds coming from within. I cringe away, the noises are somewhere between baby and monster. I know there’s no way I can go in there. “She’s right, even if he is turned.” Mack backs her up. “It sounds so sad.” Addy says, looking melancholic. “It’s not sad, it’s a zombie!” Doc exclaims, utterly taken-aback. “Amen brother, let’s go!” Murphy is really pushing it. Marianna says nothing, positively livid now. “We can’t leave it like this.” Warren demands again. “I’ll do it.” Charlie says quietly, knowing someone has to. “I’ll do it.” Hammond steps in front of him. “I need you to pull it together.” He tells Charlie, forcefully, but not with rudeness. “Two minutes. Be ready to go.” Hammond commands us as he enters the doorway.

I wait outside with clenched fists. I feel bad for the baby, but I also want to get the hell out of here. It’s just one more thing to add to the list of shit I have to scrub out of my brain so I don’t lose it. “If we wanted to ditch these two, take the truck and run, now would be the time.” Doc pauses as we all stare at him. “Just saying.” No one responds as we wait for Hammond to return. 

We hear a bunch of screaming coming from inside, and Charlie flings open the door and we charge in. I stop in my tracks. The baby and what used to be its mother are both on top of Hammond on the ground, feeding and gnawing and biting. I feel nauseous. All of us from Camp Blue Sky look at each other resolutely. We know what to do. We raise our heads high and draw our guns. We start shooting simultaneously, destroying all three of them. It’s almost poetic in its horrific glory. I salute Hammond’s prone body out of respect. We leave, an air of sorrow and difficult acceptance surrounding us all. “Well, none of this would’ve happened if you left that damn baby.” Murphy spouts off, once we’re by the wrecked mess of vehicles again. “I didn’t tell Hammond to go get eaten by a baby.” Charlie looks venomous. “Never mind that now. We need a plan.” Warren budges in. “My plan is I’m taking this truck, and I’m forgetting about vaccines, and labs, and all of you.” Murphy looks fed up. Welcome to the club buddy. “I’ve wanted off this train from day one, and now’s my chance.” “Wait, wait, wait. You can’t just go.” Doc puts his hands out in exasperation. “What about California? What about the vaccine?” “What if it’s real? What if there’s a chance and what if it’s you?” Addy throws at him. “Addy, how do we know this is not just bullshit?” Mack has a good point. “How does anybody know anything anymore?” Murph shouts, clearly through with this. “What the hell is that?” Warren questions, as a nearby radio goes off, distracting us completely. 

Addy grabs it. “Delta x-ray Delta, this is Northern Light. Operation bite-mark, do you copy?” sounds out from it. I cock an eyebrow. “It’s Hammond’s radio.” Addy announces, holding it out. “Hello?” she sends back. “I copy you! This is Northern Light. Who am I speaking to?” The man asks. “Addison Carver.” “Oh. Okay. I need to speak to Lieutenant Hammond.” “Hammonds dead.” “I’m sorry, I didn’t copy that. Did you say he’s dead?” “Yes.” “Is the package safe?” “Package? What package? Who is this?” “Listen, I need to speak to whoever’s in charge.” “Who is it?” Warren asks, after all that back and forth between Addy “Northern Light.” “They won’t say. They want to know who’s in charge.” Addy replies in confusion. “You are.” Warren tells Charlie and Addy holds out the walkie-talkie. “This is Sergeant Garnett of the National Guard. Who’s this?” “Sergeant Garnett? Lieutenant Hammond was transporting a civilian named Murphy to California. Is he alive?” “Yes, he’s still alive.” “Good, good. Are you aware of Operation Bite-mark?” “The one in California?” “Yes, yes. Listen to me. It’s imperative that you get Murphy to California. I repeat, to California. Do you copy?” “But we don’t know h- who are you??” Charlie shouts at the talkie in bewilderment. The talkie rasps and starts crackling before going out completely. “It’s dead.” Charlie mutters. “So?” Warren is asking what we all want to know. “So. It looks like we’re taking Mr. Congeniality here to California.” Charlie looks unenthusiastic about it, but also determined. “Says who?” Murphy asks with sass. “Says me.” Charlie tells him, throwing down the dead talkie with finality. 

We load all our gear and ourselves into the three trucks. I clamber into the bed of the one that Doc is driving. We take off and see someone walking down the path by the road. “Hey there. You that shot that saved my ass aren’t you? Oh man, I want to thank you. Do you need a ride?” Doc asks him politely. Dear god, he is beautiful. Young and beautiful. He shrugs and jumps in the back of the cab. Where I also am at. He smacks the side of the truck and away we go. He glances at me for a second, where I’m huddled in the corner. I nod solemnly, not wanting to speak for fear of spluttering or saying something odd. I don’t do well with cute boys after six months of solitude. I stare at him, trying and probably failing to be discrete about it. He looks to be around my age, though I can’t pinpoint the exact number. He’s pretty tall, around six foot. He’s thin and pale. He has short black hair and eyes so blue-green, it’s like looking at the clear waves of the ocean. I get lost in my musings, so it takes me a moment to notice he’s noticing me as well, fidgeting under my scrutiny.

I blink up at him, eyes wide. “Sorry, I’m still not used to people.” I say, barely above a whisper. He shrugs and tilts his head, seeming unbothered by me. We sit on opposite sides of the truck bed, staring out at the passing woods and scenery. It’s quite pretty, if you can forget what’s out there beyond it. The z’s, the remaining survivors… the ruin, the rubble, the wreckage. The death, the pain, the blood… I feel a tap against the side of my foot. I hadn’t noticed that I was spacing blankly and had been about to go into one of my panic attacks. Damn. I’m supposed to have a leash on that. I smile timidly and shrug at the curious look on his face. He stares me down for a moment, and I swear he’s looking into my soul, before sitting on his side of the truck and watching the pavement roll by. I huff a breath in relief and pull my knees to my chest. I can’t believe myself. I haven’t been this insecure, uptight, and out of control in a long time. It stops now, or so help me, I will find a way to punch myself. These people don’t need my weakness in their group. Weakness means death these days. I mustn’t forget just because I’ve had more emotional freedom. I have to remember to breathe and be calm, as much as is possible. 

We keep driving until, suddenly we pull over into a clearing of sorts off the side of the road. It’s barely visible from the highway. Which is a bonus, because any passerby, dead or alive, will be oblivious to our presence. It’s something, I guess. I hoist my bag onto my shoulder, plopping out of the truck cab and trotting over to where Warren and Charlie are already starting a fire pit. Murphy is sitting under a tree, doing nothing, which I am not shocked by. Mainly just pouting and twiddling his thumbs. Mack and Addy are setting up some form of shelter nearby. Marianna and Doc are figuring out food rations. Cassie approaches me quietly. “Is there anything we should be doing or can do?” she asks nicely. “Honestly, I’m not sure. Let’s ask Charlie and Warren. I’m sure they can give us something useful to do.” I respond, and we turn in their direction. “Hey Warren. Charlie. What can we do to help?” I question easily enough, not nerved by them as much anymore. “We could use more firewood. If you wouldn’t mind getting more.” Charlie notions to the forest close-by. “Sure. Come on.” Cassie accepts, and we tread off into the greenery. 

We make it about a mile out before we find what we need. We gather chunks of wood in silence. A bit like when we scavenged cars earlier. I kind of like how simple it is for the two of us to fall into companionable silence. I relax into a swift, fruitful pattern, sweeping up pieces of wood and sticks and dry grass for the fire. I’m so absorbed in my task that I don’t realize how far I’ve wandered from Cassie. It’s only when I hear the snap of a nearby branch that I whip my head up, not seeing Cassie at all. I shrug, remembering what way I came from. I became used to that kind of thing when I was on my own. You learn to survive well enough, that’s for sure, if you can make it that far anyways. I keep going with the collecting, losing track of my surroundings again. I hear another crack as more branches are trampled. This time, something feels off. I stand up, almost too late. My eyes fly wide open, and I stumble back a few steps as I scramble to get ahold of my handguns, reluctantly dropping my large load of wood. A group of z’s snuck up on me somehow, and there’s about twenty or so nearly on top of me. Fuck this. This would happen to me.

I start firing, and some fall, but they were only a few yards away. I give up the guns, shoving them back into place, in exchange for my knife. I’m in full-blown instinctual mode, eyes wild and mind reeling. Only five of them are down from my guns. I manage to kill about three more by knife before I turn and sprint back towards help. I only make it halfway, when I trip up on a hidden root I can’t see in the dirt. I cuss internally, dragging myself a few feet and pulling on the damned twig. My foot is stuck. I can’t get loose… I do the only thing left in my favor. I scream bloody murder. There are still several of those stinking, undead bastards coming at me. One of them dives on me, and I keep screeching, holding it off, bringing my knife up to stab it’s brain. It works, but the rest are practically at my feet. I fling off the rotten corpse, yanking my ankle hard until it pops free and I’m up and running again in the blink of an eye. The next z closest to me gets a grip on my arm and I turn to face it with raging force. I push it back, but there are two more to replace it. I want to give up and cry, but that won’t do any good. I’m filled with relief when a gunshot rings out and takes down one of the zombies. I zero in on the other, I take it out with quick fervor, almost violent, racing towards camp again. I see Cassie and Charlie, lifting their guns as they reach my side. I am able to grab mine again, and we all shoot until there are no undead left standing.

“Are you alright?” Charlie asks, putting his hand on my arm. It’s actually comforting and I feel some of the tension ooze out of me. I nod, gulping rapidly. I’m afraid if I speak, I’ll either freak out or cry. Which are both embarrassing. So I vouch for not opening my mouth. Charlie wraps his arm around my shoulders, and I let him. He leads us back to the others, and they all rush up. Except for Murphy of course. “What was that? What happened?” Warren gives me the once over. “A group of z’s found her. There were quite a few, and she took a tumble. I tell you though, she puts up one hell of a fight. I wouldn’t be the one to screw with her, that’s for sure.” Charlie explains, and I have to smile despite the fear racing through my veins. Warren gives an approving tilt of her head. “Oceana, you poor lady. Come with me, let’s get you cleaned up.” Marianna fusses over me, seeing my bedraggled, messy state. I’m covered in dirt and grass stains and zombie blood. Not to mention, I scraped my knees and I’m pretty sure I sprained my ankle on that stupid root. Some days you just want to give up. I sigh and let Marianna lead me to sit on the open end of one of the trucks. As I walk away, I glance at that boy. He’s been standing at the edge of the clearing, watching everyone after the excitement of my near death experience. He has a peculiar look on his face, almost bordering on concern. It clicks into place for me.

After Marianna helps me get all sorted out again, I go up to him, resolution in my features. “I saw some of those z’s fall prematurely, when it seemed no one had aimed at them. Also, that first gunshot, that was all you wasn’t it?” I question him, needing to confirm what I already know. He just shakes his head yes, gazing at me attentively. “Thanks. That was... cool. I appreciate it.” I tell him earnestly, turning on my heel and marching away. I don’t want to stay long enough to humiliate myself by saying or doing something silly. 

The rest of the night goes smoothly, praise the gods. I can’t deal with anymore anything. We split some canned fruit and beans. We put the fire out and call it quits until tomorrow. I sleep in one of the truck beds between Cassie and Marianna. I pass out with no remorse. I need to sleep, apocalypse be screwed. I actually wake feeling refreshed, and no nightmares. Probably because, I was too pooped after my encounter with death itself. I’m just glad my anxiety has managed to stay down and not infiltrate my activities too much, especially after that whole escapade. We share two cans of fruit between all ten of us. Needless to say, we don’t get much to eat. It doesn’t affect me all that much, my stomach is still turning flips from yesterday’s adventure. I make sure all my things are in one place so it’s easy to grab and go later. I know we’ll be leaving soon. I then grab a ratty notebook and pen out of my pack and curl up under a tree off in the distance by the edge of the woods. I keep to myself this morning and I write down my thoughts and feelings and emotions, to keep track of them and it helps to hold my issues at bay, make them somewhat easier to deal with and control. That’s the only reason I didn’t lose my grip on everything after my run-in with those dumb z’s. I make it through two pages before Warren calls out for all of us to load up. I stand, brushing moss and bark from my bottom, and smelling one last whiff of the pine scented area, relishing it. Who knows when it will be your final breath. I throw my hair into its usual pigtails. I hop up into the cab again, preparing for the ride, with that strange, quiet boy next to me. We leave our little campsite, driving back onto open road.


	2. Walking in a Winter Wonderland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I feel the title explains it all, but read for yourself and find out. ;) Citizen Z isn't so alone anymore. Neither is Josie. It's just nice to have another person around. What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! The second chapter, which I'm sure none of you know what I have cooked up. hehehe >:) Let's just say, This story has multiple things going on in it, and then some.

Josie POV:  
Aw, crap. Just what I needed. I have to boil more water. Well, time to collect the snow. I put on another jacket and a large parka. My boots are tall and lined with fur and felt, for extra insulation. I pull my hood up, over the top of my wool knit hat. I have thick gloves on, as well as wool socks and long underwear. The more the merrier, I say. I grab a bucket and attempt to prep myself for the hellish temperature that awaits me out there. I heave a drawn out, dramatic sigh, completely dreading the trek into the frigid air. It never gets better, in fact it seems to feel a little worse every time. It must be done, I need fresh water to live, as all people do. Screw you, physics.

I shiver violently as the icy winter air hits me. It’s freezing out, which is to be expected since I’m in the freaking Arctic Circle. I came here four years ago with my father for research. He’s a geologist and I had planned on following in his footsteps. A year after we got here, that’s when the shit hit the fan and the world decided to go to hell. Of course the apocalypse had to hit when I’m in one of the coldest places on this planet. I’m going out to gather some fresh snow to make water with. I boil it inside to kill germs and bacteria, then put it outside to get cool again. It’s a tedious, repetitive cycle, but it has to be done. I also have to get food, usually I set traps to catch snow hares and the likes. I also have a lot of those military style MRE’s. The only thing I eat that’s even close to vegetables is the occasional greens that pop up out of the frozen ground. So not often. Once in a while I’ll trek out to the nearest city, which is still an hour and a half of walking away. I can usually find a few cans of fruit or veggies there in one of the abandoned stores or houses. That also means the potential of facing a few zombies here and there. It comes with the territory though. The bluffs and drifts of snow also help to slow them down a lot.   
My mother died from cancer about five years ago. So two years before the undead invaded. I lost my father to a group of z’s about six months ago. It was devastating, but I’ve been alone since then, so I’ve moved on as much as I can quickly, in order to survive. I have to get my own food, weapons, firewood, clothing, and blankets, and all of that kind of stuff. I just miss having human companionship. I miss having the presence of another. It sucks and it’s lonely. 

As I’m outside, trying to get the snow, the weather starts taking a turn for the bad. Thankfully, I’m bundled up to a tee. I keep going anyway, because I’m out of water. Before I realize just how awful it’s truly getting, I’m surrounded by swirling clouds of hail and snowflakes. I can barely see a yard in front of me. I curse under my breath, stumbling around trying to get back to the cabin. I get all turned around, and I don’t know where I am. This is just the sort of thing I’ve been trying to avoid, curse the winter winds. I keep trudging on, for I don’t even know how long. I lose track of time. It’s had to have been at least an hour or two. My hands and feet are numb and I can barely move my fingers and toes. My whole body is stiff and wet and frozen. I don’t know how this happened. Damn me and my non-existent sense of direction. I would be panicking a lot more if not for the fact that I am hardly comprehensible and heading towards seriously bad territory with my physical health. I literally have no clue where I am anymore. My chest heaves and it’s getting harder to breath in the windy, bitter air engulfing me. My steps are getting sluggish and slow, my body wearing down as the dark, angry storm rages on around me. My vision starts to get blurry, and my head is throbbing. I feel so sleepy. I don’t know how it happens, but the next thing I remember is lying in a pile of hard, cold fluff, drifting off, then blackness.  
I regain consciousness and feel warmth. Wait, where am I, I was supposed to be making water… oh. Oh no. The snowfall, it was so powerful… I was walking, then nothing. I open my eyes, blinking hastily. Everything gradually begins to come into focus; I’m in a store room of sorts. There are shelves all around me, full of all kinds of odds and ends. I see books, clothing, pieces of tech, what looks like blueprints and paperwork, and I don’t even know what else. I ease up to a sitting position, holding my fingertips to my pounding temples. I cringe outwardly, I feel like shit. I wait a few minutes before attempting to stand up. Even when I do, I have to hold onto the shelves closest to me. I was sleeping on a cot, surrounded by about a million blankets and pillows. All my clothing has been removed except the bottom layer. At least I’m not naked. Ugh, the embarrassment that would bring.

I walk towards the doorway, where a beam of light is shining from the next room. I enter with caution, not sure what I will see or hear. I see… a huge computer screen with a single man in front of it. I take a few steps, so caught up in the bizarre situation, I don’t notice the box in front of me. I trip over it with a whelp of surprise. I nearly go flying, yet somehow get my footing, though still shaky and awkward on my numb legs. I whip my head up to see the man staring at me in shock. If I weren’t about to piss myself in fear, I’d laugh at the comical hilarity of his facial expression. He comes out of it quickly enough, jumping to his feet. I step back, bewildered completely. I look frantically for something I can use to protect myself. He holds out his hands in a mollifying manner. “It’s okay. My name is Simon. I’m a first class private of the NSA. I’m literally the only person left on base. If it’ll make you feel better, you can explore and see for yourself.” This Simon guy tells me, and I pray he’s not lying to me about any of this. I think it over for a moment, choosing to believe him. His eyes are so pleading and hold no lies. I nod slowly, gulping back waves of trepidation. “My name is Josie. Now prove to me we are the only people here.” I demand, fixing him with a gaze of determination. He shakes his head frantically, pointing towards the hallway outside, and we exit this room full of weird computers and technological equipment. I follow with much carefulness, attentive of this strange man and these foreign settings. I’m petrified, but at the moment I don’t have much choice but to scope out everything and make sure I’m not in any trouble. 

He shows me around all the rooms and areas, and I check every nook and cranny. I’m simultaneously relieved and disturbed by this development. How is there only one person left alive here, did he kill the rest? I’m so lost, and afraid. “Why are you the only man left standing?” I question forcefully, planning on knowing the truth here and now. If I need to do something about it, I will. “Well… I would have been with them, but I was trying to send out a message. I ran to the plane my fellow soldiers were on and it had already flown off. It was storming out… I watched it go up, then come right back down. It blew up. No survivors, no nothing. I checked the wreckage. I’m all that’s left. I’ve been here all by my lonesome for a year.” Simon elucidates, making it all clear to me. His face darkens and falls, grief plastering every part of his features. I feel genuinely bad for him for the first time. I can tell for a fact he’s not lying now. “I’m so sorry. That’s terrible. I lost my dad six months ago. I’ve been alone since then. I understand, as much as is possible for me to. I’m going to go rest now though, if you don’t mind. My apologies for not believing you.” I turn sharply, leaving no space for him to answer. I’m confused and tired and sad, not to mention I don’t want to intrude more on this right now. I’m overwhelmed and I’m pretty sure he is too. So sleep it is. As soon as I’m back on that cot, I fail to keep my lids from drooping instantly. I pass out and enter a dreamless slumber. 

I jerk awake, springing to a sitting position. There is a bottle of water and a couple of aspirin next to me. I’m grateful, for my head is still pounding slightly. I wipe drool from my mouth, wow, how attractive I must’ve looked while sleeping. I swallow the pills, grimacing at the bitter taste as they slide down the back of my throat. The sun is shining brightly through the window, emanating a cheery, false picture of friendliness. It looks nice, but it’s a lie. “It’s a lie!!!” I find myself screaming at the light. I hear footsteps come jogging up, and Simon peers around the corner at me. “Um, are you okay?” He flits about, feet not staying still. “Yes, I’m completely fine. I just had a moment.” I reply, shrugging noncommittedly. His eyebrows crease, and he gawks at me with open worry, probably for my mental health. Not that I could blame him or anything at this point. An awkward silence settles about us for a few seconds, before my stomach lets loose a loud, ungodly rumble. Simon’s eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. “Wow, that’s humiliating. Sorry about that. I guess now that I think of it, I haven’t had food in a few days.” I inform him of my current state. “Oh! I can take you to get some food. Come with me to the storage if you want. You can start to get used to where things are around here. If you’re going to stick around a while, that is.” Simon invites me along, and he has a valid point. I should know where things are in order to be useful. So I tag along beside him. Last night was intense, but now that we’ve both had some decent rest, the atmosphere around us has cleared up quite brilliantly. 

As we walk, I take in a bunch of what’s in this place. It’s huge and full of entertaining, interesting things. There’s a large bunker, with rows and rows of bunk beds and cots and sleeping bags. We pass the store room my cot is in as well. There’s a giant auditorium type area, and then we reach a back space that leads to a dry storage section full of canned and bagged food. There’s a big, metal door, which I find out opens to a walk-in freezer. There are frozen meats and products and I’m glad to know that at least neither of us will go hungry for a long time. It’s a small, sweet relief in these awful times. Not to mention, I’m totally a food kind of gal.

After our little tour, we go back to the main room I first saw Simon in, with the giant computers and machines with beeping and colored lights everywhere. I gape a bit, awed by how advanced it is and I know I wouldn’t be able to understand half of it or more. Simon made sure to bring back some steak for us to warm up for lunch. I can smell it as it heats, the juices and flavors sizzling to life, and I notice that I am salivating immensely. I haven’t had something this good in a while, so I’m looking forward to it. He pulls it out of the microwave, splitting it up between us, and setting my share in front of me. My tummy gives one last hurrah, grumbling ridiculously. Simon chuckles before digging in, so I gladly do the same. The second it hits my mouth, my taste buds soar, my joy floating through the roof. I know I’m grinning like an idiot, and Simon just smiles back at my giddiness. When I finish, I’m really full, because I’m not used to much food at once. “I think I’m going to go into a food coma.” I sigh out, contented, and lids drooping from the delicious stupor. “Yeah, the meat will get you, if you’re not careful. It’s pretty good stuff.” Simon laughs at me, eyes crinkling at the corners. So far, he’s actually been a super sweet guy. I’m really hoping it stays that way. The apocalypse can ruin anyone… everyone.

After we eat, I decide to try to get to know Simon a bit better. It’s hard, because I’m still frightened, but I am happy to have company. Six months is too long without having other alive human beings in my presence. “So, what all do you do here?” I ask quietly, wondering what all that equipment is for. “I’ll show you soon enough. Also, I have video games we can play on it.” Simon says with a wink, his face jovial and light. “That’s so awesome! I can’t wait. I love video games.” I come to life, truly excited for the first time, pretty much since this whole shebang started. I’m the legit definition of a nerd. “Good! I’m happy to hear that. We can play later, if you’d like.” Simon absolutely glows, and I can tell his enthusiasm is genuine. “Or we could play now?” I throw out, as sort of a hesitant question. “Actually, that sounds like a fabulous idea.” So we set it up and play some zombie game, ironically. It’s a lot of fun. We scream and laugh and joke around for what feels like hours while playing games. Were both startled when a loud beeping sounds from the monitor. Simon dives for it, clicking on a transmission signal. A static filled feed erupts from a radio that is positioned on a table nearby. 

“Delta x-ray Delta, this is Northern Light, operation bite-mark do you copy?” Simon all but shouts into the microphone. “Hello?” a female voice choruses back through the speaker. “I copy you! This is Northern Light. Who am I speaking to?” he asks, a spark of purpose gleaming in his eyes. “Addison Carver.” The unknown girl responds. “Oh, okay. I need to speak to Lieutenant Hammond.” “Hammond’s dead.” “I’m sorry, I didn’t copy that. Did you say he’s dead?” Simon sounds absolutely mortified. “Yes.” “Is the package safe?” “Package? What package? Who is this?” “Listen, I need to speak to whoever’s in charge.” Simon keeps persisting with his questions. A few minutes of silence and a male voice pours out. “This is Sargent Garnett of the National Guard. Who’s this?” The man asks. “Sargent Garnett? Lieutenant Hammond was transporting a civilian named Murphy to California. Is he alive?” “Yes, he’s still alive.” “Good, good. Are you aware of operation bite-mark?” Simon says, and I’m super jumbled by now. “The one in California?” “Yes, yes. Listen to me. It’s imperative that you get Murphy to California. I repeat, to California. Do you copy?” Simon is gripping the side of the table and there’s a drop of sweat dripping down his forehead. A few broken words come through, nothing that can be understood. “Damnit!!” Simon shouts, fists clenched in silent anger. I sit back, the energy around us leaking with tension. 

“So, explain please? I don’t know what just happened. I’m so very lost right now.” I blink stupidly for a minute before Simon graces me with a response. “That was operation bite-mark. Murphy is a man who has an anti-virus in his bloodstream. He’s immune to the bite. So you can see where it’s important to get him to that lab. They can try to mass produce a cure, if they find one.” Simon gives me the details easily enough. It astonishes me that he reveals those kinds of details to me, without a second guess. I feel kind of… a weird sense of happiness over it. “That is intense. Oh my god. If this is all legit then were talking possible world renewal here. How long has this been happening?” I can feel myself leaning closer to Simon’s general direction. “About one month ago is when it all started to evolve. The original location they were at and the people there were always in contact with me. They kept me in the loop, knowing I could help them out a lot, what with being able to take over any technological device. I can keep tabs on anyone, if I so choose, or if they do. I have a talent. That’s why I’m a top military man.” Simon tells me, a cocky, shit-eating grin taunting me. I giggle, to my own disgust. I just find it so funny. The whole venture is just incredibly exciting news. Simon interrupts me with an idea I’m glad to hear. “Well how about we get you a better bed set up for tonight. I have a bedroom of sorts that we can make another bed in. Soyou don’t have to be in that dingy, dusty storeroom anymore. Want to do that?” Simon asks rhetorically. “Yes! Let’s go.” I squawk excitedly. 

We grab all the blankets and pillows from my original cot, and unload them on the brand new makeshift bed that has been set up next to Simon’s. I snuff skeptically, an amused sort of curling to my lip, as I see the superhero blanket perched atop my pile of cushioned heaven. That would be exactly the thing to end up there, the irony of this day never seems to end. The geek in me rears its head again at this simple moment of pure, unadulterated bliss. I’ll gladly accept whatever it is that fate has handed me in this place. As long as it doesn’t bite me in the ass anyways, which you know, is something that would happen, quite literally, I might add. I fluff up the pillows and situate everything in a way that appeases me, then stand and place my hands on my hips triumphantly. “Satisfied?” Simon laughs heartily at my accomplishment. “Yes, very, thank you.” I raise my chin with fake haughtiness, laughing along with him. “So… What shall we do next? You’re the one who knows what this building has to offer.” I ask, surprised at my own readiness to explore the potential adventures this military zone may have to enjoy. His brow flies up to his hairline, a crooked grin growing on his face. “Yes ma’am!! First though, I need to send out a message. Want to pop a squat and check me out in action?” He includes me into his mission. “Why, yes. I’d be honored.” I answer, sitting down in the office chair next to his, ready for some cool insiders.

Simon starts up the radio transmitter again, sending out frequencies everywhere, and to everyone who happens to be able to hear all over America. “I know you’re out there. I can see you, running, hiding, killing, surviving. I’ve seen it all, season tickets to the zom-pocalypse, and I have to tell you people, were getting our asses kicked. Well, today is the day that all of that changes.” He starts, flinging on a stylish, awesome dark pair of sunglasses, making me chuckle into my hands beside him. “That’s right, I’m not just watching anymore. It’s time to kick some zombie ass. This is Citizen Z broadcasting live via broadband, low band, VHF, UHF, Skynet. If you can get a signal, then you can find me thanks to our friends at the NSA. Now all I need is somebody, anybody, everybody to get back to me because that’s how it starts. If you’re still alive, you’re probably some kind of, some kind of genetically predisposed badass and all we have to do is get organized and the zombies don’t stand a chance. Now, here’s a little something for all of you out there who’ve dealt with miles of bad road between you and home. I hope you can hear it.” Simon finishes, playing a fabulously fitting song, and we sit quietly, listening to it play in tribute to those still alive and fighting out there. Once the tune is over and the signal turned off, for now, Simon turns to me. “I’m ready for that fun now.” He winks over at me. “Sure, but one thing. Why Citizen Z?” I question, curiosity getting the better of me. “Why not? Anonymity is more entertaining. Makes me seem mysterious, yeah?” He shrugs, throwing his shoulders back in contented smugness. I shake my head, laughing. “I suppose it does. Let’s go.” I beckon him to follow, and we flit away to find some sort of activity to indulge ourselves in. I mean, who knows how much longer we’ll be able to do that. Anything could happen.

What we end up finding is not quite what I expected, but works none the less. We find a golf cart and chug along merrily through the big, open area that once housed the fallen plane somewhere outside. It’s incredibly large, our laughing, and bellowing, and whooping filling it out with an appealing ringing echo. It feels like it fills the emptiness and loneliness, and judging by the way that Simon is acting, he understands how I perceive it and he is in the same boat. We tell funny stories about ourselves from before all of this mess. After about a half hour, Simon scooches over and tells me it’s my turn to give it a spin. So I do, which ends up being much to our dismay. After about five minutes, I swerve the steering wheel sharply, being the daredevil type I am, and crash nose first into one of the giant metal storing shelves nearby. Were lucky nothing falls off from it. I turn to Simon, wide-eyed and heart palpitating with berserk movements in my chest, watching as his face turns red with silent gasps of laughter. “Oh... my… god. That was… awful.” He chokes out, tears rolling down his cheeks from lack of air, as he holds his gut and continues to attempt to breathe through his unwavering chortling. “Oh, shut it you. It could’ve been so much worse.” I grin, a loud cackle bubbling up my throat and out of my mouth. Soon, were both doubled over on the bench seat, crying and snorting together through our fits of unyielding humor. Eventually, we gain back our self-control, wiping away the last traces of our episode. 

“Oh wow. That was special.” Simon finally speaks again, and I nod my agreement. “I vote we find a new form of passing time. That one didn’t really go as planned. Hmm… what about karaoke? I saw games in there for that. I think it’d be fun.” I propose, gesturing back towards the main room, which is basically our living room at this point. “Seems good to me. Safer option, considering you will be there.” Simon taps his chin in false innocence. “Hey, watch it!” I chide, huffing in a friendly indignant manner. He nudges my shoulder blade with his playfully, mouth wide with a toothy grin. With that, we commence an epic singing battle. “I totally won, just FYI.” I announce conceitedly, though I know Simon knows I’m screwing around. “Pssh. Sure you did. You may sing better, but I can hold a note damn well. Not to mention, it said I have good power. Beat that.” he replies just as arrogantly, crowing his success. We go at it for another few hours, before stopping for dinner. We eat more steak, much to my delight. I wish I could have eaten this well for the past three years. Shortly after food, we get ready for sleep. We sort of sleep with the dark and rise with the light. Were used to it and as the say, were burning daylight. I’d like to be able to do things while it’s easier to see. I guess it’s instinctual, considering the fact that I’m in a facility with electricity and light all day long, if needed. Apparently the dread is still effecting me more than I thought after all. I decide not to think on it too much. 

“It’s sleepy time. Are you comfy?” Simon enquires, peering at me from under the quilt on his bed. “Yup! These blankets and everything are, wait for it, super soft. Get it?” I am so proud of myself for that one, pointing at the superhero fleece throw. He stares at me for a mere moment before sputtering ungracefully. “Okay, for real Josie. That was the worst. I will admit, however, that it was a clever last ditch effort. Well played.” Simon snickers at my terrible grasp at a last minute pun. We chortle together shortly, then adjust into relaxed positions to get some shut eye. I wait a few minutes, then whisper out into the shadowy, soundless room. “Good night Simon.” There’s a pause, then he answers softly. “Good night Josie.” I feel my lips curve upwards as I drift off.

“It’s a beautiful morning…” I hear the song, thinking I’m dreaming. No, wait… that’s actually playing, very loudly, and I’m not asleep anymore. “Oh my god, Simon!!” I yell out, half amused and half agitated. It’s totally not the wakeup call I expected or needed or wanted, for that matter. I hear him chortling to himself and chuck a pillow at him. It meets its target, making me feel a little bit better about the whole thing. “Oof! Right in the kisser.” Simon says, voice muffled by the cotton covering his face. I sit up, now laughing and pleasantly awake. “Serves you right.” I tell him, head held high. “Probably. Come on. Breakfast time.” He smirks over at me, strutting out the doorway. I roll my eyes, hauling myself up and out of bed, get dressed, and throw my long auburn hair into a ponytail and leave for the “living room.” 

Simon hands me a plate of mini pancakes and, you guessed it, steak. I take it gratefully, digging in. I’m pretty sure I won’t ever get sick of steak at this point. God forbid I get to eat actual food, rather than just canned stuff. It’s kind of a miracle really. We plow through breakfast in relative quiet, focused on our meal. Shortly after finishing up, Simon stands abruptly. “I have another broadcast of sorts to make. You are welcome to tag along. If you’d like. It shouldn’t take too long.” He informs me, nodding back towards the monitors and hard drives galore. I follow without even saying words. He should know by now that I have no intention of leaving his side. Were the only two people here. I can’t stand the thought of somehow having something bad happen to him on my account. I just don’t want to be on my lonesome all over again. So I take a seat next to him once more, prepared to engage if need be and observe his radio skills. He’s entertaining to watch.

“This is Citizen Z here at ford listening post Northern Light. Northern Light to Mount Wilson. Anyone from the Mount Wilson CDC, I have important information regarding Delta X-ray Delta and operation bite-mark. Come on California, hang in there. Your package is on its way, all you have to do is be there to sign for it.” Simon starts, grasping for a line, anything to assure that our only walking, living, breathing source of a potential cure is still hiking onward, and that his destination is not a futile one. The camera shots and clips being brought up are not encouraging, however. There are z’s all over the damn place in the area he’s trying to get ahold of. My insides fill with a heavy pressure, it feels like cold lead. Simon lets out a sound of frustration. He types for a second before a lady in a lab coat appears on the screen. I blink in surprise. 

“This is Mount Wilson. This is Doctor Hastings at Mount Wilson.” She acknowledges our plea. “Yes, uh, Mount Wilson you have Northern Light.” Simon stutters out in shock. “We’ve been attacked by a swarm of level four infected. Our defenses have been breached. Our escape has been blocked by a high voltage fence.” She explains, tone distressed. “Can you access the power grid from your location?” Simon questions, keeping on top of things as best he can, trying to get a grip on the situation from hundreds of thousands of miles away. “Negative. There are too many z’s between us and the breakers.” Doctor Hastings replies quickly, eyes darting around the space and cubicles around her. “Alright, I might be able to do something from my end if I can access anything on your lab network powered by the same generator. I might be able to overload it and knock out power to the fence.” Simon speed talks his way through. “I don’t know the password.” She responds, sounding utterly shaken. “Not to worry. Were the NSA. All of it.” Simon arches his eyebrows in sarcasm, knowing damn well it’s because he means that in the literal sense. “Hurry.” Her voice comes back with worried undertones. “Alright, alright. I’m already in.” Simon tells her, a slight crack to the pitch of his voice. The whole situation is completely disorienting and terrifying, and I’m not even the one doing the talking, let alone being stuck where she is. “Uh, Mount Wilson, we are ready to execute overload, but I’m showing your main frame and gene sequence are on the same network. That means any vaccine files you have on that main frame are likely to be destroyed, please advise me.” Simon instructs, fingers flying at the keyboard. The lady looks scared and out of sorts. “Mount Wilson I’m ready to execute overload, please advise. If I do this, I am going to fry your work. Do you have a backup Mount Wilson?” He tries again. “There is too many! You’ve got to get us out of here- now!” she pleads back, voice crackling in and out of focus on the now fuzzy connection. “Damnit.” Simon mutters, to no one in particular. The whole time I’ve been sitting here, fists clenched in my lap. “Come on Mount Wilson, hang in there.” He says, typing furiously. Doctor Hastings hightails it out of her station, heading for safety. I let out a held breath through clenched teeth, utterly at a loss. What we just witnessed, well it wasn’t pretty and I certainly wouldn’t want to watch it again.

Simon lets out a sigh as the line dies, turning to me slowly. He sees my hands and the way I’m stiff in my seat, clearly shaken up. He huffs quietly, gently placing his palms on my fists, squeezing lightly. “Hey, now. It’s okay. We’ve done what we can. Were halfway across the world. What’s gotten you all tense Josie?” Simon asks, nearly whispering. “It’s just… you helped. I sat here. I feel useless not being able to dive into action. I can’t imagine being in her situation. It’s horrifying.” I mumble, eyes watery. I refuse to cry, I just met this man. It’d be so fricking embarrassing. Yet, despite my determination, a few tears free themselves, slipping silently down my cheeks. Ugh. Simon wipes them away with his thumb, then pulls me into a tight hug. I blink rapidly, fending off more tears, and wrap my arms around his back, gripping the back of his shirt. He’s warm, and even though I just met him, I don’t care. I miss the comforting touch of another breathing human being. So I just sit there, wrapped comfortably in his sympathetic, genuine embrace. I just really don’t care anymore. If I want to hug Simon, though I don’t know him well yet, then I will damn well do so.

After a few minutes of clutching onto each other and shared whispers of reassuring words, we pull apart. “Wow. I’m sorry about my blubbering. I just felt helpless and kind of sad. It sucks not being able to help everyone.” I say, rubbing my reddened eyes. “No apologies necessary. I understand. I didn’t mind hugging. I haven’t hugged someone in a really long time.” Simon laughs, shrugging carelessly. I smile, so thankful that he’s as good a guy as he is. I got lucky to find the only other living person, and he’s not an asshole. It’s the little things and small favors. 

We shuffle about after that, attempting to take our minds off the whole thing. As much as we can anyways. We go about this for a while before Simon changes his mind. “I have to try to contact again. We need to know what happened.” I nod my agreement, having calmed down a lot. I’m going in prepared this time. I know what to expect now.   
“Mount Wilson, this is Northern Light. Mount Wilson, this is Northern Light. Come in.” Simon calls out, sounding almost sarcastic, and I can tell he’s done with the whole escapade. He just wants it to be over and dealt with and resolved. “Mount Wilson, this is Citizen Z, making sure you’re all still in business.” He hums, stretching morosely. “Delta X-ray Delta, Delta X-ray Delta, do you copy?” he snickers somewhat, seeming out of sorts. “Does anybody copy? Operation bite-mark? This is Citizen Z broadcasting from Northern Light on all known frequencies, even if you don’t know about it. If you have any way to communicate at all, shortwave, longwave, darkwave, broadband, x band, two cups and a string, smoke signals, anything, just get back to me. I’ve got a satellite, I’ll see it!! Anyone from operation bite-mark, I have an update for you on the California situation. We need to discuss some operational realities. Mount Wilson, do you copy? Delta X-ray Delta, do you copy? God, I can’t believe I lost everybody.” Simon rambles, nearing hysteria. I’m about to step in and have him take a break, help him settle down, when an erratic beeping flares to life on one of the many machines.

“What the hell does that mean??” I ask, taken-aback by its sudden interruption. “Were going to find out, that’s for sure.” He answers, features just as perplexed. “It’s picking up a heat signature… Is that a dog sled? Is that people??I think its people! Oh thank god. Someone is finally near here. Besides us, anyway. Snacks! They’re going to want snacks. I need to clean up in here and the bathroom… people!” Simon chitters like an excited child. Before I can tell him to put on a coat so we can greet them, the image changes. Instead of running, the dogs are lying down, unmoving. “Wait…” Simon mumbles darkly, reaching into a drawer under the giant desk, pulling out some kind of handgun and cocking it. I stiffen next to him, not exactly reassured by his actions. “Come on. We have to go find out what is going on out there.” Simon coaxes me into following him. It doesn’t take much, as I’m curious by nature.

We race to the bedroom area, throwing on extra coats so we don’t freeze when we leave the warmth of the compound. We grab flashlights, going down the exit tunnel nearest to where we saw the sled. We trudge out, braving the harshness of the weather and approach the train of dogs. The air bites at the tip of my nose, making me cringe in disgust. It is so devastatingly cold and dreary. The beam of the light finds its target, revealing the driver of the sled. His beard is icy and covered in snow, and he stands without any sign of movement. Then we see his eyes. He’s pale and they are the color of grey sleet. “Fuck.” I mutter under my breath, dropping my head and shaking it. Simon just grimaces and raises the gun, turning his face away as he pulls the trigger, hand tremoring minutely. It feels so final, and the echo of the ringing shot plows into me like a train. I hate that this is how the world is now, it just is this horrid place full of horrid things. I sigh, ready to go back to the heat and promise of shelter. 

We turn to go, when we hear a whining whimper rise from the front of the harness, muffled by the freshly fallen snow. “Is that…?” I whisper in astonishment. Simon nods, mouth agape. We tread closer, softly, carefully, still alert and watchful. We both know the dangers and perils of this new apocalyptic planet. We kneel down, and Simon gasps shallowly, overcome by some kind of strong emotion. He leans in close, ear aimed at the pile of fur half covered in white flakes. The creature whines again, distraught and scared and cold and lonely. Simon angles his head to stare at me in amazement. “We’ve got to get him inside. He needs to get warmed up.” I say, setting Simon into motion. We both get our hands around the poor, wet pup, lifting him and carrying him back to our designated living room. He’s not too heavy, considering, he probably doesn’t get much to eat either. We set him gently on the stone floor, and I run into the storeroom and come back with an actual dog bed I somehow find in there. I arrange it nicely, and we lay him on the fleecy, cotton padding. He responds instantly, he was already awake when we brought him inside. He stands and lets us pet him and rub him so he can regain some body heat. He’s an adorable husky dog, and I already love him. 

“Hey, one second, one second buddy. We got you. There you go.” Simon mumbles at the dog compassionately. It’s endearing, and I can’t help but feel my heart swell. “Alright let’s warm you up. It’s cold outside isn’t it? Good boy.” He continues, kissing the husky on the top of the head. I’m just beginning to grin when the three of us are startled into awareness by a loud clank resounding from somewhere nearby, inside with us. My heart lurches, all senses now homing in on the area it came from, and whatever might have done it. Simon leaps to his feet beside me, reaching out to grip my wrist and move slightly in front of me. It’s unnecessary, though I do appreciate the fact he wants to protect me. He pulls out his flashlight and turns it on just in time to see something approach us. I stare in disturbed awe of the creature standing there. It’s another husky, but yet not. It’s a zombie. 

“Go!” Simon commands, shoving our husky away towards safety. We both pull out our guns, Simon firing at it as I take off the safety of mine. The demon dog turns tail and runs off. It makes some ungodly, awful sounds as it goes. I know it will be back though. We need to put it down. For our safety and our sanity. Simon pulls off his jacket, preparing for the search to find this thing. “You’re crazy. Yet so am I. Let’s do this.” I nod over at him firmly, receiving one in return. We make our way forward, quietly and guardedly, ever watchful of what is around us. We keep hearing the terrible growls and snarls of the undead animal as we tiptoe onward. 

“Here boy!” Simon shouts, making kissy noises and giving up on the silent approach. I join him, beckoning the z dog to come find us. Along with our pooch too. They both took off. “Where’d you go fella?” Simon calls hesitantly. “Come on! …We have steak?” I join, sounding unsure of my own words, though I know them to be true. Simon snorts and we continue our slow shuffle onward. A series of barks answers our quiet words, and we continue with the smooching sounds. I don’t get why that usually works anyways. Whose idea was that? “I hear you boy! Where are you?” Simon keeps up the steady beckoning. A loud metallic thud echoes behind us, and we jump, my body damn near leaping into Simon’s. He steadies me with a hand on my back. “You good?” he asks uncertainly. “Yeah. Jeeze. Just startled me is all.” I balk at my own momentary coward-ness. The barking isn’t as far away now, and I’m still worked up. “Come here doggy!” I really want to find this pooch already and be done with it. We steer around a few large boxes and Simon freezes and relaxes as he sees the living dog lying there panting at us. “There you are!” Simon exclaims excitedly. “Thank god! I want to get out of here.” I cry out, so done with this creepy part of the storage area. “Are you hungry boy? Want some water?” Simon asks rhetorically. I pull out a water bottle so we can refresh the poor thing. “Let’s have some water, yeah.” I mumble, setting down the now full doggie dish. 

Another low, guttural growl from the z dog resonates from very close by. I cringe, not wanting to deal with this situation in general. I hate that animals can become zombies too. “Dog!” Simon takes off after our new friend, me directly behind him. “Dog! Come back!” I yell, hoping the other one doesn’t hurt our husky. We come to another turn, and we look at each other, and I hold up three fingers, two, one… We skirt around the corner with speed, guns aimed and at the ready. There is… nothing so far. More barking reaches us from even closer yet. An eerie screeching follows directly. It scares me, though I refuse to admit it ever. Were surrounded by large crates, and every time we turn round a corner, I prepare for the worst. It’s a maze back here and I don’t like it in the least. “God, why is this set up this way?” I say, not really as an actual question. “Tell me about it.” Simon replies monotonously. “Oh! Hey boy!” I say, relieved when our living husky runs out. “Shit.” It quickly turns to fear as the z dog sprints past as well. Simon fires at it, me as well, and we both turn to run the other way. “Climb!” Simon shouts, clambering up the nearest over-sized crate. I’m quick to the draw, hoisting myself up and to my feet next to him. There’s a lot of barking and growling going on, and silhouettes of both dogs go flitting past in all sorts of directions, confusing the both of us. We both fire off shots, only when we think we’ve seen the zombie dog. We crawl up onto a slightly taller box, throwing our upper bodies all over, searching for the target. The frenzied yowling keeps going, and we keep trying to determine which dog is which. Simon shoots again, seeing the bloodied creature. 

We climb further, transitioning from crate to box to crate, at a loss of where to shoot or go. We keep it up anyways. “Damn! Do you know which one is where?! I don’t want to hurt our puppy.” I practically choke out, swallowing down the rising panic in my throat. “Simon grabs my hand with his free one, giving it a fast, reassuring squeeze. “Hey. We will figure it out and put down the undead one. We can do this.” He comforts me quickly, but with actual feeling. I nod, forcing myself to breathe calmly. Simon tries to fire again at the passing shadow below, cursing when he realizes that he’s run out of bullets. I use mine a few more times before the same problem arises. “Crap.” I mutter. 

“No… NO!” Simon yells, as the two dogs meet in a clash of teeth, fur, and claws. “Fuck… get him!” I bellow, desperate to keep our new friend alive. They both start running around again as Simon reaches into a nearby box and pulls out a couple of cans of food and throws them at the z dog. They don’t do much of anything and the dogs meet in a flurry once more. “No! Hey, you bastard, get off of him!” Simon hollers angrily at the dead thing below. He looks around frantically, breaking a slender chunk off from a broken crate next to him, as I continue to yell profanities harshly. “Stop! You aren’t killing the only friend Josie and I have out here!” Simon yells furiously, flinging himself off the top of the pile heroically, wielding his spear-like stick majestically. “Simon!” I shout, watching him fall on top of the fight and gasping when his weapon actually hits its target spot on. I watch the stick go clean through the z dog’s head, dropping it instantly. Unfortunately, he also knocks himself unconscious in the process. 

I leap down gracefully, immediately kneeling at Simon’s side. I give our new pup the once over, making sure he isn’t bit. He’s clean so I move my full attention on to Simon. I settle his limbs into a more comfortable position than they landed in, then gently lay his head in my lap. I smooth his hair flat, stroking it in a relaxed, soothing pattern. He is only out for probably about ten minutes when he awakes again. His eyes flutter open in small movements. “Hey there, mister. How are you feeling?” I ask, gazing down at him with a soft, amused expression. “Ugh. I’m alright. Dang.” He says, rubbing his head where there was sure to be a lump forming soon. “Next time how about you warn me, maybe let me know you’re about to do something insane. So I can at least try to help.” I chuckle, as he grins and sits up. “Okay. Hey! You’re still alive! No way.” Simon exclaims, seeing the husky next to me, who then proceeds to lick his face. His eyes dart over to the staked dog next to us, and he jumps about a mile. “You certainly hit your mark.” I mention, nodding at the officially dead dog. “Yeah! Take that Cujo! That’s what I’m talking about! We did it guys! Were alive!” Simon cheers, throwing his fist into the air and laughing in triumph and relief alike. 

His laughter suddenly turns to sobs, and I’m shocked to see him crying. I wasn’t prepared for that reaction. I thought the first one would continue. “Whoa, hey. What’s up?” I question quietly, placing my hand on his arm. He doesn’t say anything, just buries his face in my shoulder and wraps his arms around my middle, practically pulling me into his lap, fists clenching the back of my shirt desperately. It’s like I’m his lifeline. Maybe I am right now. It is a pretty lonely world at the moment, not to mention the fact that I’m the only person he’s had contact with in a whole year. I hold onto him like there is no tomorrow, because that could always be true. I rock slightly from the wracking quakes that emanate from Simon’s tiny, thin body in my arms. I shush him, cooing in his ear, nonsense words and sounds of comfort. His grip on me never falters. Eventually I get him to calm down enough to go back to the main living area. He soon returns to his more chipper self after getting our pup settled and returning to what is our normal. He acts more like himself again, and I’m not cruel enough to bring the incident back up. Neither of us needs that right now. 

“What do you say we finally get you something to eat, huh, pup?” Simon announces, leaving to get the goods. He comes back within two minutes, carrying several items. “Okay, we have beef patty and sloppy joe. You look like a beef eater to me.” He says, looking at the dog as it whines and bobs its head. I smile, gazing from one to the other. “Okay, here we go. This is actually one of the best first dates I’ve ever had.” He tells the dog, pouring the food into his new bowl. I blush slightly, choosing to ignore that comment. “I meant the dog… wow. Never mind I said that.” Simon stutters, seeing the expression on my face. “Um, alright then. So! Is the rest of that for us then?” I change the subject, eyeing the rest of the meat lying on the table. “Right! Yes it is!” He acknowledges, seizing the packages nearly violently, putting them into the microwave. “Whoa! Slow down dude! I only have a ten year supply.” Simon tells the dog, as we laugh at his hurried scarfing of the meat. “Dang. We be set for life.” I joke, enjoying the mood of the room. “Hmm, Dude. That’s not a very good name, is it. Naw, we can do better than that, can’t we. What about The Dude? I really like that movie. No? We can come up with something better than that. Good boy.” Simon goes off on a tangent, talking to Dude, which I guess is his name now. “I am so ready to eat.” I say, staring longingly at the cooking parcels. 

At that point, a beeping sounds from the computer monitor once more. Crud. We both stare, wondering what could possibly happen next. “What is that?” Simon asks, traipsing up to the techno station. I follow, and we watch in curiosity at the video footage of a plume of smoke and fire blooming up on the screen. “Looks like someone has been playing with fire. Is that a refinery?” Simon mutters, forehead crinkling in muddled contemplation. “It sure looks like one.” I mumble back, lips pursed in uncertainty. “Wait a minute, I think I can patch through to the phone booth that is near there.” Simon declares, fingers racing over the keyboard. “Hello?” a voice echoes back to us. “Hello, it’s me, Citizen Z, from Northern Light. To whom am I speaking?” Simon asks politely, and now my curiosity is peeked, since someone answered. “Sargent Charlie Garnett.” The voice responds, and my face lights up with recognition, a thousand unspoken words flying between Simon and I as we gawp at each other. “Excellent.” I throw back over the line. “Who was that?” Sargent Garnett asks, and I look at Simon sheepishly. “My… colleague. We’ll call her… Silo. Good talking to you again, Sir. How’s it going?” Simon continues on. “It’s going.” “Excellent!” I reply again, Simon shaking his head, a twinkle of humor in his eye. “And the package?” Simon asks, both of us leaning over in anticipation. “Still alive. Please tell us where to drop him off.” Sargent Garnett explains, and we both droop in relief at the statement. “California.” “California, wait no. Hold on, that’s not going to happen. We need to go someplace closer.” We look at one another, dumbfounded. “Uh… closer? Um… sorry Sargent, but there is no closer.” Simon stutters out, not sure what to say to that. From what he’s showed me, there aren’t many places still up and running. “Can I speak to someone in charge?” Comes his next question. “Uh, yeah, copy that. I’m sure they’d like to talk to you too, but that may be a little problematic.” Simon puts it bluntly. “What do you mean problematic? Why can’t I speak to somebody at the lab?” Garnett shoots back. “Well, Sir-“ “What’s going on?” Garnett interrupts. “We’ve lost contact.” Simon tells the truth. “Are they even still alive?” he asks, sounding conflicted. “I’m working on confirming that Sir. I’ve got a screen of oncoming z’s coming your way. You better get moving Sargent. I’ll find you. For now, go west until you hit the ocean.” Simon informs the man as best as he is able. There is silence from the other side. “Hello? Sargent Garnett? Sargent?” Simon tries to get a response, but to no avail. Dude whines from his position in his chair. “I know, I know, but they’re the only chance we got.” Simon says, in answer to the dog. “So… what? We just try to keep contacting them when able and have the supplies to?” I ask, wanting to know more about what to do next and what is going on. “Something like that, yeah. Not much else we can do from the Arctic Circle.” Simon answers, petting the top of Dude’s head. “I need some music.” Simon decides, flipping on a record player. 

We end up just listening to the pacifying, soothing sounds and rhythms of random songs. We eat in the peace of the quiet in the aftermath of our musical escapades. I read alone in the corner while Simon messes about and attempts to find more open connections or lines to other places and locations. He tosses down his headset with a huff of frustration. We sit there for another few hours before we both sort of give up. “I’m off to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.” Simon finally completely gives in, walking into the bedroom. I end up just joining him, too tired and worn out from the day’s happenings. 

I lie there for what I think is near an hour, when I get sick of the silence. “Are you still awake? I can’t sleep either.” I whisper companionably out into the shadows. “Yeah, I feel the same right now. It has been stressful. Makes you question everything, you know?” Simon says, a heavy sigh following. “Well, I was wondering if I could… its cold down here so… would you care if I brought all of my stuff and joined you? We could have one massive pit of a bed.” I barely manage to spit the words out at all. “I thought you’d never ask. Get your ass up here already. I’m tired woman.” Simon sasses at me. I puff my chest with pride, huffing at him saucily. I throw all my blankets and pillows and everything with his, shoving the mass of sleepwear into one. It’s pretty big once its complete. I sidle in, making myself at home in the warmth and fluffiness of the unique bed. I don’t even hesitate to worm my way up along Simon’s body, and he embraces my closeness by slinging an arm over my waist. Heck, were the only two living humans anywhere near here, why should we bother with too much modesty? I say screw it. If we can find some form of release in one another, then there is absolutely no reason for us to deny it or each other. 

“…My Dad got taken down by a z six months ago, but two years before the shit even hit the fan, my Mom died from cancer.” I mumble, petrified that he either won’t care enough or will care too much. I don’t want a big deal made out of it. There is a second of pure silence, then he answers. “Damn. I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t even know what happened to my parents. I, uh, used to have a girlfriend before this hell we call Earth. Not sure about her either, but I assume she’s gone. She lived inside the city, and that’s always where it got hit worst. It’s all just one large, rotten mess.” Simon indulges my info with some of his own, which I appreciate in a sad sort of way. The way he says it doesn’t discard mine or make his seem more important either. There is a feel of equal give and take in our words. He sounds sympathetic, yet not like he’s making it his problem. It’s always upsets me when people do that, I know it’s my burden to deal with, but I’d still like someone to talk to so I can work out my own solution. Simon is pretty amazing at it. We talk more, before I curl into his side and throw a leg over his, drifting off. I dream of a soft, rustling breeze and calmness. There are billowy shapes that I can’t make out. Yet, I feel no threat, just harmony. I get a decent rest for the first time in a while. I can get used to this. 

I awaken to a sort of damp feeling on my hand. “Ugh, Dude. Gross! Stop licking me, you weirdo.” I mumble endearingly to the dog next to our bed. I hear Simon chuckling from beside me where his head is resting on my shoulder, so I know he is also up now. “Shush, you! At least you weren’t brought into alertness by doggy drool.” I laugh, tussling his hair affectionately. “Get up sleepyhead. I’m making breakfast this time.” I tell him, climbing with some difficulty out of our pile of fluff. I don’t wait to see if Simon follows, wanting to get a head start on making us all food this morning. 

I rush to the main area, full out grin painted on my facial features. It feels like a great morning. Let’s hope it stays that way. I warm up some beef and dump it into Dude’s dish. I refill his water and move on to start up the mini stove we have set up. Once it’s heated, I lay some frozen steak in and listen to it sizzle and smell the enticing scents of meat, fat, and grease. I hum and get lost in my own world while preparing our meal. My tangent leads me back to the cuddling fest from last night. It was rather nice actually. I really did miss the warm, soft contact of another person. I would like to think that things will continue to stay like this. I will certainly not be the one to put an end to it. I fish out plates and serve up steak, potatoes, and eggs. I retrieve two bottles of water and set everything out in its correct place, nodding my head in self-satisfaction of my skills at still properly knowing how to set a table. I hear grumbling and a small bark as Simon and Dude enter the living area. 

I start to feel somewhat nervous and jittery, partly due to wondering if I did a good job at prepping the food and partly due to this psycho plan I have formulating in my mind. I’m going to bring it up with Simon and see what he thinks of it. He probably will understand, it just isn’t going to be easy. We all settle in, food in front of us. I assume I cooked alright, seeing how the boys are both digging in. I clear my throat, in preparation of announcing my plot. 

“So… how’s the food taste?” I ask, feigning nonchalance. It doesn’t work well apparently. “It’s awesome! I’m getting pretty good at construing you though. Cut the small talk silly. What’s on your mind?” Simon reads me like a book. I sigh. I guess I’ll get right into it then. “Well… I was sort of wondering if we could maybe… go on a small adventure, back to the cabin I came from, for some supplies and personal belongings I left behind. It would only be a day trip, maybe two. I know it’s kind of crazy sounding…” I rant, floating off at the end, realizing how ludicrous it really is. “Josie, that isn’t crazy. It’s completely insane. Yet, I do get it. So, I’m going to track down its exact location, which I should be able to, and pinpoint so we don’t get lost or venture too far. If it’s doable, we will go.” Simon tells me, and I heave a breath of relief. I have some pictures and a few treasured items that I really want to bring back, that are dear to me. “Thank you Simon. It truly means a lot. I will make sure not to make it a waste of our time. We can take whatever food and supplies are left as well.” I answer, a weight lifting off my shoulders and chest. “It’s no problem. I know you have things there that are close to your heart. Not many people get to have that anymore, so who am I to deny the one person left that has something sentimental still physically within grasp. I’d want to go back too, if I were you. I mean, it’s practically a suicidal idea, but that’s just details. Plus, I have a lovely system that can predict the weather for us, so we can make sure we won’t get plastered by a storm.” Simon informs me, puffing with pride at his own knowledge and talent. I grin from ear to ear, letting him know I am grateful. We finish our meal in relative silence, mentally revving up for our journey. 

We clean up and start to throw clothing and food and other useful stuff into our packs that we are preparing. We are leaving out plenty of food and water for Dude, not wanting to risk losing him out in the snow, we have chosen to leave him in the compound. That pooch can definitely fend for himself, as he has proven. We have plotted and mapped out our route, knowing the way there and back. It’s only about two hours away via walking. So we should be able to manage decently. We bundle up accordingly, and shut the lift doors behind us, waving goodbye to Dude. He wags his tail and trots off back to the living area, probably to his bed. If he doesn’t seem worried, than I will try not to be either.   
We only make it five minutes, before breaking into random, easy conversation. We discuss the statistics of the chances of us ever getting out of here. Which leads to the topic of how long we might make it if we don’t. Despite the somewhat depressing ideas of it, it’s actually a very engaging discussion. We bring in all the scientific aspects, as well as theoretical ones. It distracts us for a brief while. We’ve made it about halfway there. Another hour of trudging to do. We keep up the flow of words, both of us getting cold out here in the harsh, frigid artic air. It actually is a decent day for travel though. The sun is out as much as it can be, and the snow is sparkling brightly against the blueish white backdrop of a sky. The wind is still pretty bad, but I expected that. There is no life in sight, undead or otherwise, which I suppose is a blessing. I’d rather see nothing than those jerky, stinky assholes. I watch my breaths puff in the surrounding air. We’re almost there I think, because things are beginning to look familiar. I glance up and see the cabin in the near distance. I let out a huff of relief. I thank my lucky stars there has been no encounters of anything terrible on our way here. There’s still the way back though. We pick up our pace, eager to get this finished, so we can be safely back with Dude. 

“Hallelujah, we made it with no problems.” Simon says, leaning on the door of our cabin, catching his breath. “I can amen to that.” I agree, turning the handle, and forcing it open with a small shove. It takes a moment, the ice having frozen it shut from lack of use this past week. It creaks open, and we enter the cold cabin, looking around cautiously. There is no lurking threats, to our equal relief. So we shut the door and go over what things we will be taking with us. We open our packs, which have empty space for whatever items we decide to fill them up with. The first place I go is the bedroom, aiming straight for the pictures and the locket my Mother got me a long time ago.

“What’s that?” Simon asks curiously, stepping in behind me. I turn and hold it out to him. He takes it and examines it closely. “My Mother got it for me when I was ten. So about fifteen years ago. It was a Christmas gift.” I explain to him, mouth turning upwards as he opens it. “Is that why there’s a snowflake etched on it?” he questions, gazing at the miniature pictures inside. “Sort of. My Birthday is not far before Christmas, which also plays a part. Mom always called me her “Christmas miracle.” Just because of when my Birthday is. The picture on the left side is my parents and the other one is ten year old me.” I tell him, as he places the locket gently back in my hand, smiling warmly. “You better not lose that Josie. It’s pretty nifty.” Simon says, taking my hand and rubbing small circles on the back with his thumb, making me grin back. I’m feeling a little emotional, but nothing too bad. Just miss them is all. At least Mom didn’t have to go out the way Dad did. Though I don’t know, cancer might be worse than zombies. I don’t care to find out either way. 

We finish collecting my memories into my bag and go straight back to gather all the food and medicine and anything else of use. We’re making great time, and soon we both have our bags full. We’re only in the cabin for an hour when we are ready to make the trek back. We settle everything down, making sure it’s safe and sound, just in case we need it again for whatever reason. Something tells me we probably won’t though. 

We don’t even bother checking for z’s when we leave or anything. Which, wow, what a terrible idea. Stupid. We only make it about two yards from the house when I hear muffled, uneven treading behind us. I gulp, turning slowly. Damn. There’s a handful of undead snarling in our direction. “Shit.” Simon mutters, grabbing his gun. “Time to go!” I rasp out, whipping out my gun as well. There’s about ten of them, and they are coming pretty quick, considering the snow. We take out seven before the final three bear down on us at close range. I shoot one as Simon gets the other two. “Shit! Josie! Help!” Simon yells quite frantically. I whip around and see that one of those flipping damned things has its filthy hands on Simon, and he’s having a hard time holding it off. “Not today!” I shout, throwing myself at it, gun poised to blast it. Unfortunately, it’s a rather large z and I am not. So when I grab it from behind, it sends us both of balance, and next thing I know I’m falling backwards, towing the z with me. I manage to shoot it before we hit the ground. So I take all of its dead weight on top of me. I drop at an awkward angle and I hit the hard, packed ground with a thud and a sickening crunch echoes around us. I lay there for a second, groaning lowly at the sudden burst of searing pain pulsating in my lower right arm. Well, this certainly can’t be good. 

“That was such a loud, gross sound. Oh, please tell me that was the zombie.” Simon’s voice leaks with trepidation, as he starts to roll the smelly corpse off of me. “Hate to disappoint, but I’m pretty sure it was my arm that did that. Fuck.” I hiss, as the pressure comes off my arm as I sit up gradually. Simon calmly and gently checks out my arm. “Good or bad news first?” he asks, shaking his head and grimacing a bit at my poor arm. “Good. I already know the bad. Hate to break it to you, but it’s broken. Get it? Break?” I laugh through the burning feeling, watching Simon shake his head with a fond smile. “Yes, it is. Good news is there’s no blood so it didn’t break skin, so avoiding infection should be easier. Also, it seems like a clean break so I should be able to set it and build you a sling so it can heal. You just have to rest a while when we get back.” Simon explains, and I nod along, glad that I’m not in immediate danger right now. Thankfully, no more damn z’s show up. 

After Simon has hauled me to my feet, we move in the general direction of the base. We go a little slower than on the way here, but my arm is killer and jostling it makes it worse. We don’t talk on the way back, focused on getting there in one piece. It’s a steady go until about halfway through. My arm has been hurting the whole time, but it’s steadily gotten worse from the lack of care and fixture. I force myself onwards, ignoring the building pain and haziness. I’m stumbling along behind Simon, head filled with fuzziness, trying not to black out. I trip, gripping the back of Simon’s coat, keeping myself afoot. “Come on Josie. I’ll carry you if I have to. I’ve done it before.” Simon whispers, balancing me out with his body next to mine. “I can do it. That’s embarrassing.” I mumble out, driving myself forward, knowing there is food, shelter, medicine, and a puppy waiting for me back at home. “Were only about ten minutes away. Come on babe, power through. You can do this. You’re a survivor.” Simon encourages me, and I’m too foggy to really acknowledge the cute pet name. I just do as he says. What feels like three hours later, I see the entrance twenty yards away. The longest twenty yards of my whole damn life. 

I make it inside barely, with the help of Simon’s arms wrapped around my middle. We make it to our bedroom, albeit a bit clumsily. I strip of my layers as quickly as I can without damaging myself further. Finally I’m down to just my pants and t-shirt. Simon and I both wince at the sight of my twisted arm. It looks like… well broken, like I got hit by a truck or something. “I’ll be right back. I’m grabbing the good pain meds and stuff to make a sling. I’ll have you patched up soon. Promise.” Simon runs off, returning within less than five minutes with the necessary supplies. “Take these first. You’re going to want it in your system before you even do this.” Simon tells me, handing me some Vicodin and water. I swallow them down, disregarding the bitter flavor. I set the glass down on the table next to me. “Ready?” He asks patiently. I nod, sucking in an unsteady breath. Simon huffs a breath of resolve, grabbing my arm lightly. Next thing I know, he snaps my arm back into its proper placement. I cry out at the flare of pain, and I don’t even have time to fully take in anything before I’m shrouded in shadows. 

I awake surrounded by heat and mass. Simon is curled around me protectively in his sleep. I glance down at my arm, now wrapped and in a sling. It hurts a lot still, but I can tell that whatever he did to it has seemed to help lessen the trauma. I snuggle up closer to him, content with just relaxing here next to him. Alas, my movements have alerted him. “…Josie? Are you feeling any better?” Simon asks groggily, giving me a once over. “Yeah, all things considered. I think those Vicodin amped my game though. Thanks.” I answer honestly, smiling warmly. “You’re welcome and good. Now, I think its dinner time! Come on Dude! Let’s make the lady some supper.” Simon chortles at the dog. They both scamper off to the kitchen and I lean back into the pillows, fully intent on chilling out so that I heal better and faster. I grab the book on the table next to me, and pick up where I left off.

I don’t make it too far when the boys come back with a delicious smelling plate of food. “Yes!” I call out, reaching for said plate happily. At least eating is a healthy distraction from the slight throbbing of my arm. We inhale our portions, joyous that all three of us are still alive to do so. I go to put my plate down on the floor and cringe and rotate my shoulders. “What’s up?” Simon asks, after my mini episode. “I just have a kink in my upper back and shoulders. Probably from stress and wear and tear. Nothing too bad.” I respond, drinking more water. “I’ll give you a massage, maybe relieve the tension if I can. I’m already done eating.” Simon says, moving to sit behind me. I let him, because what person in this whole world offers to give a massage willingly, let alone one of the few living people left in society. You don’t just get in the way of something like that. 

He kneads and presses and rubs my skin, with strong, yet gentle pressure. It really hits the spot, actually. Too much. As he continues his amazing ministrations, I loosen up more and more. A small, quiet moan leaves my lips, to my own horror and shock. It sounds almost… too comfortable. If you catch my drift. My mouth falls open and I turn to gape at Simon. I almost giggle when I see the blush creeping its way across his cheeks. He’s staring at me in awe…. And he looks almost nervous. Its then I realize. I have been such a blind fool. It’s been there since the beginning, yet I didn’t truly pay attention. Maybe I was scared, maybe I was just focused on survival. Probably both. Not anymore. I can make room for one more instinctual behavior. 

I lean forward and try not to hurt my arm in the process. I slowly put my good hand on Simon’s chest, feeling his heart flutter rampantly beneath my palm. I watch him visibly gulp at my daring stunt. I stop just short of kissing him. As we breathe, our oxygen mixes as one, the gap between us barely even there. I see Simon inhale deeply, bucking up and growing a pair. He closes the last few inches, softly touching his lips to mine, with tentative care. I smile into the kiss as his hands come up to grab my hipbones, tightly, but it feels good. I bring my hand up and around, sliding it up into his hair slackly. This should all feel very strange because we just met, yet it doesn’t. We have told each other so much, so fast, that being this at ease around one another simply feels natural. I just want to be close to him, apparently in more ways than I thought. I bring myself closer to his body, pressing my front up against his, savoring the long, drawn-out sensation of his mouth on mine. He grunts slightly, pushing into me, and his tongue laps serenely at my bottom lip. I open myself to him, letting my tongue slip into the wet, hot cavern of his mouth. Oh god, it’s been so long since I’ve kissed anyone. I melt into the touches and caresses. I grip his hair hard and pull somewhat unconsciously. Simon groans and pulls back with a sad sort of sigh. 

“Hey! Things were just getting good.” I argue with his sudden loss. “I noticed. That’s why I stopped.” Simon tells me, face disgruntled and red. “Why? …Was it bad?” I ask, biting my lip anxiously. “No. God, no. It was awesome. That’s the problem. For two reasons Josie. One, I’m not taking advantage of a wounded woman. Two, no protection. I am so not ready to bring a child into this godforsaken apocalypse.” Simon states two very fair facts. “Okay, that makes sense. Damn. I remember when this used to be easier. I haven’t had a boyfriend or been with a guy in like three years, since this whole fiasco started. Crap, that’s a long time, isn’t it.” I sigh, falling backwards onto our bed, completely fed up with the whole situation. “It is.” Simon mutters quietly. There’s a few minutes of heavy silence, before I break it. “Simon, can you at least come back up here? I just want you to hold me… please?” I whisper as politely as I can. I just, ugh, I adore the man. He doesn’t answer, nor does he falter. He climbs back up next to me, grabbing me up endearingly. He wraps his arms around my waist, and entwines his legs with mine. “Josie, you seriously test my patience when it comes to things like… well you know what I mean. At some point, if you still want to, we’ll figure out a way to make it work. First, I just want you to rest and heal. Okay?” Simon asks sweetly. “Yes. That sounds fine to me. I understand, and if we can find a way to… I want to.” I mumble, blushing furiously at my own audaciousness. “Do you really think I’d say no? Only woman here or not, you are quite the catch Josie. Don’t you forget that, or undermine yourself.” Simon tells me, sticking his face into my hair and settling down behind me. “I won’t. I wouldn’t dream of it actually. You aren’t too bad yourself Simon.” I answer easily, molding into him and putting my hand over his. He chuckles and shakes his head. “We are in for a long, frustrating apocalypse.” “Tell me about it.” I hum in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! I know it's a pretty big plot twist to add another person up at the base with Citizen Z, but its always crazy adding any OC's and I figured, hey! I already had ideas for her, so I'm sticking to my guns. Hope you all enjoy. :D


	3. I Believe I Can Fly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I planned on having this up, like, three months ago. Omg. A lot has been happening though. I'm really hoping I have the next one done and up within two or three months tops. Fingers crossed. haha
> 
> I truly hope you enjoy!!! Let me know what you think!

Oceana POV:  
We don’t have far to go before we reach our destination, the Tappan Zee Bridge. The windows are down and I can hear most of what is being said within the three vehicles, and it helps that I’m out in the openness of the truck bed. Plus, I’m a really good observer. So the parts I don’t hear, I still see, and formulate the whole plot from there. “Oh, wow, look. Another tree. I am just loving the scenery.” Murphy drones sarcastically from his seat. I roll my eyes, and catch Marianna looking at me through the rear window of the car in front of our truck. She makes a fake gag me expression, making me snicker to myself. The guy really is full of it in a lot of ways. I keep finding more reasons to want to smack him silly. Yet somehow, he may be the cure and solution to all of this. What crappy kind of irony is that?

We come to the bridge, and begin to cross. There are a shit ton of z’s on it, but that doesn’t stop Warren. Oh, hell no. Why would it? Especially considering her and Charlie’s ride is that large, tank of a military truck. “Oh man, we aren’t even going to slow down at all for this are we?” I ask myself rhetorically. I hear a snort of sorts from the quiet boy behind me. The corner of my mouth twitches upwards. I hear Warren let out a round of rambunctious laughter as we charge the oncoming z’s. That woman is something else. She bowls down the first few, making a ruckus and acting giddy as a schoolgirl. I giggle at her antics. A big chunk of them are coming up in front of us, and I cringe, not sure if we can clear them or not. “Go around!” Charlie yells out to Warren from up front, and I clutch the side of the truck, clinging desperately to avoid splatting onto the concrete passing by. “No! Too late!” Warren cackles, plowing right into the undead that are shuffling nonchalantly in the road. The look on Charlie’s face is priceless. His eyes pop wide open and he is like a deer in the headlights. Marianna flinches, squeezing Murphy’s forearm tightly in the process. “Ouch! What the hell are you doing?!” he stares her down accusingly, yanking his arm from her death grip. “…Sorry. I don’t think I’m very fond of Warren’s driving skills.” Marianna actually apologizes to the jerk. Throughout the whole escapade, I’m just laughing my ass off at everyone, half dangling over the edge of the truck bed. I get along well with Warren simply because we are both free spirited, crazy women. “Nice driving.” Charlie comments, words dripping with sarcasm. I keep chortling, watching the boy out of the corner of my eye. He seems rather at ease, despite all the activity going on around us. His skillset is very refined and well-tuned. He seems to know exactly how and when to act. I suppose time will tell all. Eventually he will get tested, as will all of us.

We continue on our way, and I gaze out, watching the trees and the grass, the wind rippling through like a gentle wave of fresh spring air. It smells nice out here, further away from the wreckage of the city, of society. I take in a nice lungful, enjoying the sweetness of the grass and musk of the woods while I am able. I’m brought to alertness when our mini car train starts to slow down. I perk up and listen. “Oh no! No, no. No!” Warren cries out, smacking the steering wheel. “What?” Charlie questions quickly, making me jump to the ready. “Oh, were out of gas.” She explains, and I feel a lot better about that than I would for some of the other scenarios that run through my mind. Lack of gas I can handle, z’s on the other hand… We all pull off onto the edge of the road, the roar of engines halting. 

“Well, that was fun.” Addy calls to Warren as she passes by the middle vehicle towards the rear. “Out of gas.” Warren informs her. “Running on fumes.” Addy replies, giving Warren a high-five as she passes. I huff a breath of disappointment, having purely enjoyed our reckless driving adventure. Who’d have known hitting z’s via car would be so rewarding. “Alright, so looks like you have a flat.” Warren announces, diagnosing the bizarre movements our truck had been displaying as we had gotten further along. Doc grabs a car jack from the back as Mack trudges around to the front. “Heads up. We have company.” He nods towards the fast approaching motorcyclists headed in our direction. Oh great. This could go in any which way, depending on what kind of people they are. I stay close to Doc’s side, making sure the boy is not far either. “That’s right. Keep rolling and we all live to see another day.” Warren mutters under her breath as they stare us down, but keep their pace and pass on. I let out the air I had been holding in, without notice. They sure don’t seem like the friendly types. “Alright, let’s do this quick.” Warren says, hoisting the jack and preparing to remove the tire. “Alright, it doesn’t look flat, but-“ Her words are cut off as she huffs and yanks on the tire. “We ran over some fun stuff.” Doc adds, helping as best he can. “Well let’s get it off and see what’s going on.” Warren tells him, as they pull the rubber free of its holdings. There’s a spattering of cringes and sounds of repulsion. “Oh, delicious.” I say in disgust, crinkling my nose at the still alive z stuffed up in the hull of the wheel, grasping for us and growling. It smells nearly as worse as it looks. It’s a mess, blood and innards trailing everywhere. 

“Well that explains the pull to the left.” Doc points out, and I shake my head and chuckle, not surprised by the joke. “What are you waiting for?! Kill it. Kill it!” Murphy bellows, turning tail and cringing away. I roll my eyes and I hear Marianna sigh in irritation. Of course he is going to be a big baby about it. Warren lifts the jack for the wheels. “Alright you. Time to go home.” She says, jabbing it and putting it out of commission. I admit, it is a little disheartening to watch its movements slow to a stop, knowing it used to be alive. “Check out that view. It’s pretty spectacular.” Marianna unknowingly interrupts my musings. 

We all walk over to the edge of the top of the hill that the road is built on. “Even after all this, it’s still beautiful.” Warren words all of our thoughts well. “Take a good look. We might not be back for a while.” Charlie points out to us, even though I’m trying not to think about it too much. I’ve grown to find this area really nice. It’s so close to loads of supplies, yet oddly peaceful. I’m going to miss its familiarity. “So long New York.” Addy shakes her head, recording some footage of the view of the distant cityscape. From far away it almost looks normal. You wouldn’t guess it’s flooded with death and disease. “See you in the next life.” Murphy comments, plodding back towards the abandoned vehicles. I make my way back as well, feeling really torn about the whole turn of events lately. So much has changed since I fell from the fire escape only about a week ago. Going from being alone to traveling with a group all the way to Cali. It’s a bit far-fetched. Yet, a mission and a goal none the less. Gives me something to focus on and work towards. I suppose it’s better than mindless scavenging and survival. That’s what I have been doing up until now, and it’s a lonely, sad, scary road to travel down alone. That’s for sure.

We decide to abandon the truck, and muster up our resolve and push onwards, heading for the border to New Jersey. According to the map we have and road signs, we are only about an hour and a half away. I settle down into as comfortable a position as I can, leaning my head against my pack on the side of the truck cab. Before I even realize what’s happening, I doze off and fall into a weird, half asleep state, where I am still semi-aware of my surroundings. At least I can’t dream if I’m not in REM mode. This is the worst place for that to happen. 

I come to with ease, being woken by none other than Cassie. I grumble and rub my eyes, sticky from sleep boogers in the corners of my lids. Ugh, attractive. “Come on. We’re attempting to gather some gas from some nearby cars.” She informs me quietly, nodding at the massive pile of trashed cars in a lot we are stalled next to. “Alright. Coming.” I answer, forcing myself up and flinching at the crook in my neck and back from the bizarre napping position I had been in. I stretch out, giving my back a nice crack, before moving on to my neck. Once I’m all loosened up, I feel much better. We all traipse over to the wrecked carnage of vehicles, passing a sign that says we are in Paramus Park Mall in New Jersey. I sigh. I really did sleep all the way here. I really must have been tired, all the lack of rest catching up to me somewhat. Man, I hope I didn’t drool in front of Mister pretty boy. How embarrassing. 

We wander off and start the search for gas, as well as supplies. I find myself rummaging, safely tucked midway between good ole Doc and the mysterious stranger from the roof. It’s quite relaxed actually. None of us are all that tense around one another, all things taken in to consideration. The cars are piled in a large circle, all stacked up on top of each other. It’s a mystery to me as to how they got moved into the formation anyways. Warren and Charlie are perched atop a section, questioning the whole scenario were in. “All these cars…” Charlie mutters, words trailing off. “…and not a drop of gas.” Warren finishes, voice full of disbelief. “Just when you thought you saw the worst of it, huh?” Charlie adds with a slight rhetorical quality. “They didn’t stand a chance.” Warren quips. “Black Friday sale?” Murphy throws in lightly, sarcastically. I snort openly, actually amused by his sad attempts at humor for once. Doc just shakes his head, keeping up his search. Apparently, I’m the only one who finds it funny. 

“You find any gas?” Charlie asks Mack as he stalks back up. “No. This area has been picked clean.” Mack replies, seeming downtrodden by our lack of luck here. Not that I could blame him or anything. It sucks not being able to find supplies, especially if it’s the one thing we need to keep moving. I glance over at Addy, staring at a skeleton on the ground, its clothes ripped, torn, in tatters, and not a lick of flesh left on its bones. It’s sad, yet a reminder of the dangers lurking. “What, you on vacation?” Murphy questions, stalking up to her. I sigh as Marianna puffs her chest angrily. “If you weren’t so damn important, I’d kick your ass myself.” She mutters, toeing at the dirt beneath her shoes. “I’m right there with you sister.” I back her up instantly. She sends me a half smile. “Somebody has to keep record. You know were probably the last generations of humans on Earth.” Addy points out, making a very valid argument. “To us, it’s the apocalypse, to her, it’s the memories.” Murphy remarks snidely, walking away. A small, sadistic part of me almost wishes he would wander off and get lost so we could just leave him here. That tiny flicker of hope for a cure makes me stop myself. Also, I guess I would never do that anyway, since he’s still a human being, and part of this group now. “Hey, Murphy, please just don’t go too far.” I call to him, watching him wave a hand briefly in response. “Would it hurt the antibodies if I kicked him in the nuts?” Addy asks in obvious disdain. Mack snorts and I chuckle. What a way to spend our end of days. “Let’s split into sections to search cars and siphon what little, precious liquids are left.” Charlie barks the orders. So I head off with Doc and that boy, whom we still don’t have a name for. He’s quiet and doesn’t say or reveal much. We start off in complete silence, just going about our duty. Doc is, unsurprisingly, the one to break it. 

“So what’s your name kid?” He asks, pocketing something, probably pills, as I bag some water bottles and canned spaghetti o’s. I listen curiously, as I’ve been dying to know myself. “Ten thousand.” He answers simply. I blink and perk up, because what does that even mean? “That is not a name, it’s a number.” Doc scoffs, giving a small, soft chuckle. “It’s my name. Made it up myself.” He responds, sifting through the clothing and objects in front of him. “I suppose you’d have to. Does it mean anything?” Doc replies, continuing his rummaging. “Yeah, there must be an explanation for using a number as a name.” I tack on, trying to be less shy and actually come out of my shell more. These people have shown me no reason to hide anything. “It’s how many zombies I’m going to kill.” He announces stoically, acting like it’s nothing. I blink again, amazed at the gall of him. Something tells me he can do it though. Eventually. 

“Well that’s a whole lot of zombies.” Doc says, not even doubting him for a second. “Already on one thousand and fifty five.” He informs us nonchalantly, like it’s nothing. “Holy shit.” I utter quietly, unprepared for that bit of knowledge. “Damn! So what happens when you get to ten thousand?” Doc exclaims, flying upwards in shock at the words. “Change my name.” 10K answers easily, which makes sense. “To what, twenty thousand?” Doc asks, laughing at his own silly joke. I shake my head, and keep up the hunt for gas. “No. Jeff.” He replies smoothly, drifting off to another vehicle. I find myself laughing outwardly at the look of pure disbelief and incredulity that crosses Doc’s features. “I like the name Jeff. Oh, shut up.” 10K finishes, pulling out a hunting knife and stabbing a z hanging out the window of the car he’s next to. I’m really quite amazed by his personality. A little quiet, and withdrawn, but his intentions seem good. Plus, he has that silently humorous vibe to him. 

“So, how did you rack up such a high number of kills?” I question him, genuinely curious to know. “Just from traveling from place to place these past three years. You rack up a lot, especially if you are a good shot and don’t like leaving them standing the way I do.” He tells me, and I understand where he’s coming from. “Hey, I dig the name ten thousand.” Doc chimes in. “Yeah, me too. I’ll call you 10K. It fits you.” I add, glancing over at him out of the corner of my eye. I see what might be the hints of a smile pull up the corners of his mouth, but it’s hard to tell with how straight-faced he’s been so far. I grin to myself, happy to have pulled any sort of reaction from him at all. I’m sure he’ll fit right in with us. With me.

I glance through the back window of the nearest vehicle, and I am pleasantly surprised to see a gallon of water and some other goodies. In my excitement I don’t notice how rickety the car on top is looking. When I open the door, it tilts and starts sliding towards my body. “Shit!” I shout, holding Double Nope close to my middle and duck and roll to the side as swiftly as I can. The car falls to the ground behind me, landing harmlessly. “Oceana! Are you okay?!” Marianna gasps, staring in shock. “Yup! No harm done.” I call out, brushing dust off the front of my jeans. “Damn. That was some serious ninja shit.” Doc just shakes his head. I chuckle and shrug it off. You learn some good instincts and reflexes when faced with extreme conditions and obstacles. “Talk about a badass. We have one amidst us.” Charlie raises his hands in an appeasing manor. “All hail.” Addy adds, bowing low, laughing. “Hey, now. No worries. I just do what I have to.” I scoff, giggling at their praise. It’s really no big deal. I can’t say that it’s not awesome though. Murphy looks unabashed, watching with a disapproving sneer. Go figure. At least he doesn’t say one of his ignorant, unwanted comments. Sure showed him, shut him right up. I’m not one to be toyed with. I turn and gather up the water and food, tossing two bottles of pills of some sort at Doc. He hastily hordes them in his pack. All the while, 10K just sort of stared inquisitively, with a hint of… awed satisfaction. Apparently I’m more awesome than I realized. 

“Now that all that insanity is over… Where did everybody go? I haven’t seen a survivor except for those two bikers.” Warren pipes in, curiosity melting into her tone. I hadn’t even thought about it. “Black summer. Everybody starved to death.” Charlie states it bluntly. I suppose it’s true, it just kind of sucks to think about. I myself have my own stories from black summer… None of which are very appealing. That’s a story for another day. “It leaves more space and supplies for us then.” Murphy sticks in his two cents, which he shouldn’t have. “Zip it before I make you. You can’t talk without a tongue.” Marianna spouts, grabbing the hilt of her hunting knife threateningly. Murph purses his lips, clearly un-phased, yet staying silent anyway. I tilt my head down, chuckling inaudibly. I feel no worry, knowing that no matter how angry or annoyed Marianna gets, she wouldn’t hurt or kill without good reason. Murphy just happens to be a nuisance is all. This is going to be a wild ride. 

“I was in Philly for black summer. It was bad. I lost thirty pounds. I thought I was dead.” Cassie begins to explain. “How did you survive?” Addy asks purely out of interest. There’s a brief pause from Cassie. “…I did what I had to do.” She continues, after shrugging, leaving it at that. I shudder, sensing that her stories aren’t much better than mine. There’s a sudden commotion behind us, and I whip around, axe posed and at the ready, heart rate shooting up. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” A male voice echoes. There’s some quick scuffling and talking, as we prepare for a threat. “Hold on, it’s not a z.” Warren says, aiming her gun at the man before us, his arms raised in the air. “Please, no bites here. One hundred percent alive.” He attempts to convince us of his cleanliness. I glance at the others skeptically, waiting to hear opinions and observations. I think he looks like a sleaze, though I guess I won’t judge a book by its cover, especially in the apocalypse. I’ve had my bad days too, but for some reason I’m put off. “What happened to your friend?” Charlie asks the first, most obvious question, I’m sure were all curious about. I subconsciously step closer to 10K, since he’s the nearest to me. I’m getting a really bad feeling about this guy. 10K must sense my tension, for he reaches out and grips my wrist firmly, but gently in his hand, edging to block me slightly from the intruder. It comforts me in an unexpected way. 

“Turns out he had other friends of low morals. Took my ride. Those thieves should be shot.” He replies slowly, articulately. “You should choose better friends.” Cassie tells him, stepping forward, almost in a challenge. “That’s good advice.” He retorts, and what seems like a look of recognition passes between them. I have no idea what is happening, nor do I dare ask right now. “What can we do for you? One peaceful group of humans to a lone traveler.” Warren asks, caution and weary laced into her tone. I dart my gaze between Warren, Cassie, the man, Addy checking the cars for more people, and 10K’s hand. I will not let myself miss a single detail, in case of some kind of catastrophe ensuing. “I could use a lift. Sure don’t want to spend the night out here alone.” The biker answers, his tone almost patronizing. Marianna’s face twists into an expression of pure astonishment at his condescending words. 

“You’re in no position to be using that sort of tone.” I tell him bluntly, gulping at my own wave of bravery. “Sorry, were not running a taxi service.” Murphy comes back with, and for once I can tell Marianna and me both agree with the asshole. “Which way are you headed?” Charlie questions him in clipped words. “Any direction but back. Word is there’s a horde on the move south, the New York side. I see you scrounging for gas. You know, like we used to say, ass, gas, or grass. Nobody rides for free. I know where you could fill up.” The suspicious man explains, clearly trying to sound convincing. I gulp, trying to get a read on the others facial expressions. If this dude is for real, that would be a miracle. We need the gas, but can we trust this guy to get us there, I don’t know. “Now would be the time to share that information.” Charlie calmly and coolly stares the man down. “A place called Jersey Devil Refinery, maybe five miles off, just off the turnpike.” He answers, shrugging nonchalantly. “How do you know there’s gas there?” Warren asks a very smart question. I catch her eye, giving a slight nod of understanding. I aspire to be as brilliant as that woman someday, if I live that long. “Got overrun day number one. All the tanks are still full, just rusting away.” He continues, and for some reason, I believe him. I just have that sinking feeling still. Charlie and Warren sort of look over their shoulders at one another, an unspoken conversation flowing between them. “As much as I’d like to just keep going, if there is actually gas there, we need it.” Marianna speaks up, and I back her up, because she is still right. “Yes, we can’t exactly pass it up if it’s available.” I say, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. “All right, take us to this refinery, and if there’s gas there like you say, you can ride with us to the next outpost.” Charlie agrees to the idea, albeit seeming leery. The whole group is shifting awkwardly, sharing the vibes of weariness. “You won’t be sorry.” The weirdo smiles, and I internally cringe at the whole thing. “You got that right.” Warren answers, as a good chunk of our group aims their weapons at him. Warren takes his gun, and 10K finally releases his grasp on my arm. I almost forgot he had been holding it in the first place. “Let’s get out of here. The new guy’s going to ride with me and Warren. Everybody else load up in the truck.” Charlie announces, a ring of authoritativeness to his tone. No one says a word, we all just grab our things, and holster our guns. For the time being. 

“Hey, can I stay by you again? If that’s cool.” I ask 10K nervously, wanting to stay as far from our new passenger as possible. My fear outweighs my shyness this round. I guess I can’t complain. “Yeah. I don’t mind.” He replies easily, drifting off towards the back of the truck. Before following, I watch curiously as Marianna approaches Murphy. Like, willingly, of her own volition. “Hey, we got off to kind of a bad start. Maybe we should give it another try. I’ve just been… I don’t know. Kind of worked up from all the recent terrible events.” She attempts to engage him in some type of conversation, failing miserably. “I’ve never had a problem with you, lady. Relax. I just want to get where I’m going. With, or without you people.” Murphy responds, somewhat unglamorously. “Damn, you are the worst at choosing words carefully.” I point out, though everyone, including Murphy, knows it already. “That could be because I don’t even try.” Murphy shrugs with uncommitted abandon. I smack a hand to my forehead, dragging it down my face as Marianna tenses. I can practically see the hairs rising on her forearms. “Seriously! I even try to extend the politeness first too! Christ, I give up.” She bristles, stomping off to take her seat in the car. I shake my head, turning to jump up and perch next to 10K in the truck bed again. “Dude’s an idiot.” He mumbles to me. “Tell me about it.” I grunt back.

I’m just settling down, when I hear Cassie speak from the inside of the truck. “So are we just going to pick up every sketchy loser at every place we stop?” she asks, clearly agitated at his presence, pretty much confirming my unspoken assumption from earlier. I shake my head. This may be the only time I’m not glad that I can read people so easily sometimes. “Well we brought you along, didn’t we? Besides, nobody consulted me.” Murphy opens that stupid mouth of his once more, unsurprising to none at this point. “Whoa, okay. She’s not nearly as suspicious as that creep. Leave her out of it.” I throw back at Murph from the cab window. He rolls his eyes, leaning back against the side of the truck. “We’re not really going to California with this guy, are we?” Mack leans up from his spot next to Addy, aiming his question at Doc. “You know the apocalypse is a lot like rehab, kid. Just take it one day at a time, and then do the next indicated thing. In this case, that means get more gas. After that, who knows?” Doc actually has the ability to chuckle and find the whole scenario amusing somehow. “Were doomed.” Murphy grumbles quietly. “No, you’re doomed. We will use whatever fuel we find to light you on fire.” I mumble sarcastically from behind the seats, mostly joking. 10K snorts slightly, a miniscule shake of the head the only indication he even heard me. I smile at my own wit, proud of myself as I see the tiniest of smiles show on his face. 

I quickly settle in, as we have been driving for a bit now. 10K and I both sit on opposite sides of the truck bed, staring off into the trees and shrubbery as it flies past. I see the occasional z or some form of wildlife, but nothing of note. Murphy must have dosed off, because there are no moronic words leaving his mouth and the whole cab is quiet. The silence is actually quite a nice treat. There hasn’t been much of it since this whole journey started. Hell, since the apocalypse decided to happen. We make it about an hour when Murphy startles awake. 

He seems a bit upset about something. I ignore it, choosing to not even try to attempt any conversation with him. Not right now anyways. I’ll play nice later, but for now, I have had almost more than I can handle of him today. I glance upwards, peeking at 10K where he has moved to stand and watch the oncoming road, seeming to be searching for any signs of approaching danger. Always searching, as we all do anymore. I’m thankful that he seems to have taken to my presence fairly easily. For some reason, he just puts me at ease. Though his amazing shooting skills may contribute immensely. He has a usually calming aura to him as well. I continue to observe our surroundings until we pull through a chain link fence, gate hanging wide open. I instantly go on alert, clambering to my feet and standing alongside 10K. There are a bunch of buildings, warehouses of sorts all over, everything looking shabby and abandoned. We must be at the refinery. The two vehicles come to a stop, and I hear nothing but the industrial gears grinding and the z’s gurgling and groaning. This place is crawling with them. 

“That’s not a refinery. That’s a zombie factory.” I hear Murphy state from where he’s got his head hanging out the window. For once, no one has a reason to argue his logic, because it actually makes perfect sense. There are undead on the ground, the metal stair casings attached to the machinery, in the dusty, grubby warehouses, everywhere. I sigh, already over this scenario. “Fracking zombies.” 10K says next to me, a look of half amusement on his face. He doesn’t even seem afraid. Damn. What a man. I’m more anxious than anything, myself. 10K leaps out of the truck gracefully, landing with only a soft thud. He turns and holds his hand out to me politely. I take it, letting him help me jump down into the dirt with him. I nod my thanks, walking up to position with the others. 

“They seem to want something in there real bad.” Charlie nods towards the oil machinery. “It’s that sound, like bees to honey.” Cassie replies, which makes sense. “Or like z’s to shit.” Murphy inserts, another I can’t actually deny. If Murphy starts making too much sense, I may have to assume I’m losing my mind. “Hey, you know about this?” Warren asks the new stranger, pointing to the scene in front of us. “Hey, all the easy gas is gone.” He responds with an unconcerned shrug. Ugh, that also sounds about right. I hate it when all the creeps and assholes are the only ones making sense. “So what’s the brilliant plan? Die, get eaten, go home early?” Murphy questions, not hiding his annoyed skepticism. “What’s that smell?” Addy asks, as we ignore Murph’s ridiculous, though true, sarcasm. “The undead and gasoline. Both highly flammable, so no firearms of any kind.” Charlie answers her, eyes stealing looks at all of us seriously. “So, how do you want to handle this?” Warren wants to know, and I think we all do too. “Well, first we have to shut off whatever is making that noise.” Charlie says, keeping his cool. “Okay, it’s probably some kind of pump, but where?” she returns with another good question. “Follow the zombies. They all seem to be headed for the top of that catwalk.” Mack nods to said stairs, and I nod along with his smart figuring. “We’ll get up there and check it out.” Addy agrees with her boyfriend. “Then we have to have a sound that draws the z’s away from the pump so we can get to the gas.” Charlie continues to formulate some kind of plan. “Sorry, I left my guitar at Camp Blue Sky.” Doc says, and I flinch a bit at the words. It’s still far too fresh of a memory. “Car horns?” Addy throws out another idea. “No. They’ll all just head this way.” Mack makes a valid point. “Yeah, and so will every other dead head within earshot.” Warren tacks on. I’m just losing hope when Cassie speaks up. 

“I have something. Z’s like high pitched sounds, the more musical the better.” She informs, pulling out a small trinket on a necklace chain and winding it. Its a little music box piece that chimes and tinkles a relaxing, happy melody. All the dead slowly turn and stumble, mesmerized by its haunting tune. Warren cocks her head, surprised and interested. Cassie quickly swipes it back into her palm, silencing it before the z’s decide to come closer. “Wow, you learn something every day.” She nods her head approvingly. “That’s great. You’re our decoy.” Charlie gives her the task. “I’ll go with her.” The hitchhiker tosses in. “I don’t need his help.” Cassie is swift to decline his proposal. “No, you need cover. Take him, and start the music when you get to the top of the catwalk. You two, get to the top of the other side and see if you can kill that noise.” Charlie is ultimately correct, so Cassie just goes without argument. “Got it.” Mack responds, him and Addy taking off for their part of the craziness. “Where’d that kid go?” Charlie asks, looking around for 10K. “He was here a minute ago. Oh, and his name is Ten Thousand.” Doc tells Charlie, also confused now. “Yeah, he was right behind me when I came over here.” I say, glancing here and there for any sign of him. “Well he better be back by the time were ready to go.” Charlie says quietly. I don’t let myself worry too much. 10K can definitely take care of himself. It would be reassuring to see his face physically though. 

“Hey, if we get that tanker started, and we could fill it up from the main tank, that much gas would get us to California.” Warren motions to the giant barge in front of us. “I like the way you think.” Charlie praises her smart, fast thinking. “So, what should I be doing while you are all getting incinerated to death?” Murphy lets another dumb comment leave his unbidden mouth. “All right, why don’t you take Mr. Congeniality here and take the suburban and get back to a safe distance, just in case.” Charlie motions to Doc, and good riddance. I wouldn’t want the man to break a nail or anything. “What about me?” Marianna questions, raising a brow. “Just go make sure these two stay out of trouble.” Charlie issues her part. Marianna seems less than thrilled, but keeps quiet anyways. “What if, you know… zombies?” Doc iterates his question. “If this all ends in tears, you have to get him to California.” Charlie shrugs. Like hey, because that’s no biggie, right?? “Sure. No problem.” Doc answers, about as enthusiastically as I feel right now. Charlie runs off to help Warren, and Doc and Marianna get in the car to drive Murphy off to safety, leaving me to run off and find 10K. Something tells me to keep an eye out for a high place. Not that I’m complaining, it gives a better vantage point of the whole landscape around me. 

I run off towards the nearest building, rounding the corner and coming to a screeching halt. There are about thirty z’s now turning their bloody, filthy hands towards me, shuffling in my direction. “Shit.” I mutter, throwing myself at the stairs leading up. It’s the only place I can go at the moment. I race to the top, yanking out Double Nope as I go. Once up there, I barrel down the hall, finding myself at a dead end. I force myself to think reasonably, so I can get out of here in one piece. I wind up and swing my axe at a devilish pace, smashing out the large window to my left. I stick my head out, seeing a broken window across from his one, in the next warehouse. I inhale deeply, terrified of what I’m about to do. Fortunately, these are large windows. I shove the axe back into place so I don’t accidentally drop it, or impale myself on the damn thing. I hold my breath, climbing onto the sill. I make sure all of my belongings are held tight, then fling myself across the ten foot gap, praying for the best. “Fuck!” I cry out, barely managing to catch the edge with my torso, stomach taking the brunt of the fall, knocking the wind out of me as I slip back towards the waiting zombies below. I flail my arms out, getting a grip last minute. I hiss sharply, as the shards and chipped glass slice into the palms of my hands. Blood dribbles down my wrists and I heave myself up as best I can, damage already being done. There’s no way I’m letting go after all this effort and grief. 

I somehow safely make it onto the platform below me, forcing air in and out of my lungs and regaining my breath. I’m still hopped up on adrenaline and fear from my near fatal leap of faith, so I take off at brisk run, flying hastily around the next corner. I collide full force with a solid figure in front of me, knocking me onto my rear end. I let out a yelp, prepared to be faced with a hungry z, only to see an equally shocked looking 10K staring wide-eyed down at me, where I’m now sprawled ungracefully. We blink at each other a few times, before I feel light headed with relief, or maybe that’s loss of blood. In all my hurry to live, I hadn’t really noticed the pain. I look down at my hands, seeing deep gashes across both palms. Also, a nice gash in my right side from the initial smack down of my failed landing point. I didn’t even notice that until now, but there was a nice trail of blood oozing down my side as well. “Jeeze. What happened?!?” he asks me, reaching down to loop his arms under my own, pulling me to my feet. “I got cornered by z’s, and the only way to go was up. So I did, then hit a dead end. Long story short, I jumped from one window to another across a gap, body slammed on the ledge, slid, and got a grip with my now mutilated hands. Surprise!” I explain to him, getting my footing. “Damn. Come on. I’ll keep you safe.” He tells me, motioning at my gored hands. I nod my understanding, both of us knowing I obviously can’t hold any sort of weapon at the moment, at least not well. So I follow 10K along the pathway, as he leads us to a catwalk overlooking the whole front area. 

“I’m trying to find a good spot to make sure no z’s get too close to anyone.” He informs me, as we come to a stop. Sounds good, I don’t want to lose anyone. “Well, this looks as good as any then.” I reply, taking in the adventure happening below. There is a lot to see at the moment. Our group, z’s, machinery, and the buildings all doing a dangerous dance of survival. The first thing I hone in on is Cassie weaving through the z’s, Mister biker weirdo hot on her heels. I’m not sure what he’s all about, but by the look on Cassie’s face, he can’t be good news. “Oh shit!” I cry out as a z gets too close for comfort to her. 10K darts a glance over, swiftly and surely loading his slingshot with a rock and popping that sucker through the head, slaughtering it. I huff in disbelief, a damn slingshot of all things! This guy could win an award or something for most inventive, useful weaponry skills. Just… wow. 

I lose sight of them, but catch a glimpse of Addy and Mack running up the steps to the top of the outside catwalks. They are tag-teaming the z’s to take them down as they stride along. They appear to be arguing about something, but it’s hard to tell from this distance. Meanwhile, Charlie and Warren are struggling to get the tankard running, so we can get all the gas from it. I hear the distant rumbling as it comes to life. I give a silent cheer, fist bumping the air. That’s one point to team apocalypse. I mumble under my breath, praising 10K for taking out another z that is sneaking up towards Charlie. 

Mack and Addy manage to jam up the device that is causing all the racket. It goes quiet, enhancing the grumblings of all the z’s. Just a few seconds later, the banging starts up again. Something must have gone wrong. I sigh, grasping at any hope that they are okay and figuring it out. I have no clue what Murphy, Marianna, and Doc are up to either. I’m going to assume they are safely in the vehicle, staying out of harms grip. I get restless, so I wander over to this small section of catwalk off to the side of where 10K is perched. In my haste, I don’t realize that it has come loose from the ceiling. I walk out unknowingly, quickly regretting it. I hear a few creaks and groans from the metal beneath me, and then suddenly I am falling backwards. I scream, frantic and terrified as I desperately grab for a hold on the nearby railing. I somehow do, despite the slippery, painful mess of my hands. I cringe, but hold steady, knowing that a bunch of z’s await below, after plunging about twenty feet, easily. God, I have the worst luck ever today. 

“Oceana?! Are you okay?” 10K cries out, head popping out from above the dangling remains of the catwalk, expression chalk-full of disbelief. The noise has drawn more unwanted attention. A shit ton of z’s are swarming underneath me, clawing and snarling up at me. I focus my wide, watery eyes on 10K. “Yeah! My hands are on fire, but I’m alive, so that’s always a plus.” I answer, searching for a way to get up and off this stupid thing. “I might be able to get ahold of you, but you are going to have to find some sort of foot rest to help push up.” 10K explains, hands reaching out to me and I take a deep breath, preparing for the oncoming discomfort. I gasp a bit as I switch my hands from the railing to hold onto 10K’s wrists, as he gets mine. I shove my boot into a hole in the plating and hoist myself up. As soon as I’m close enough, 10K moves one arm to wrap around my torso, yanking me right over the side and back onto solid ground. “I’m so over this day right now.” I tell him, tears prickling the back of my eyes. I refuse to cry though, instead concentrating my energy on getting out of here in one piece. Which is proving to be incredibly difficult. 

“Hey, come on. Sit and rest. You are quite the warrior.” 10K shakes his head, ruffling my hair. “Or something anyways, though I’d say it was just reckless.” I respond, plopping down next to him again, and refusing to let myself move or wander this time. I stare at all the action, watching as Mack and Addy jog back up to where Charlie and Warren are perched on the tank. “Do you think we should get back to the others? It seems that things are going according to plan so far.” I ask 10K, pointing at them all talking together. “Yeah, probably a good idea.” He replies, standing and helping me to my feet. We check to see if the coast is clear on the stairs and seek out an open enough space to get past the z’s. Once we know what we’re doing, we rush off, not waiting to lose our opportunity. I hear Cassie’s music box twinkle to life, echoing off the walls and obstacles everywhere. There are still a few buildings in between us and them, so we quicken our pace, running, and dive around the corner of the first warehouse. Most of the z’s are following the music, so we can just slip by the majority of them unseen. 

Until we reach the second warehouse, that is. There is a group of about fifteen z’s lurching our way, only ten yards off. “Damn.” 10K speaks aloud what I’m thinking. I toss caution to the wind, taking out Double Nope. My hands are already screwed anyway, so I’m going to protect myself. “We can fight through these suckers, easy.” I mutter to 10K, stepping up to the first few and swinging aggressively. “You got that right.” He agrees, using his slingshot on them as I do a full frontal attack. It only takes about sixty seconds to clear the bastards out. “Onward hoe.” I exclaim, as we march on again. We take pause, when 10K holds his arm out in front of me. “Wait. Did you feel that?” He asks, a warning tone to his voice. “Yeah. Something is vibrating, shaking the ground.” I say, curious as to what that means. “Okay, move quickly.” 10K directs, maneuvering around the side of the building cautiously, though steadily. 

We climb up to a wide opening, where a window used to be, seeing Doc and Marianna struggling down by the truck with some z’s. One pins him to the hood of the car and 10K whips his slingshot up and takes the nasty creature out. “One thousand fifty eight.” He says, as Doc nods up at us appreciatively. “One thousand fifty nine.” He continues, flinging little gears into the heads of the undead, when he picked them up is a mystery to me. He’s super sneaky, this boy. “Good job 10K!” Marianna calls out. “One thousand sixty! Nice shot kid!” Doc yells up to us. I snicker, loving the way those two get along so well. Suddenly, the car plows forward, Murphy having probably wanted to get away from the z’s, Doc and Marianna chasing after it. What a tool. 

We charge back the way we came, all the while I’m beginning to feel more and more tired and lightheaded. My vision is getting all spotty and hazy, little stars exploding in my sight. I stumble and tilt dangerously to the side. “Hey, Oceana, I got you. We’re almost there.” 10K mutters soothingly, putting my arm around his shoulders, and guiding me in the right direction. He sticks his head out around the side of the building, shooting out another z with his slingshot skills, clearing a path for Murphy and Charlie. “One thousand and sixty two.” We keep trudging towards the truck, and it takes all the rest of my energy to stay on my feet and aware of my immediate surroundings. I lean heavily on 10K, groggy yet determined to make it to our destination. We hear the explosion before we see it. Shit. There goes all that gas. While the others are distracted, 10K leans me up by the truck, racing back to grab some gas cans we passed on the way over here. I get there just in time to hear the payphone go off. Everyone sort of stares at it in curious disbelief. Charlie goes to pick it up. 

“Hello?” he answers with a blink. “Hello. It’s me, Citizen Z from Northern Light. To whom am I speaking?” Comes the welcomed voice of our unseen hero. “Sergeant Charlie Garnett.” He replies, gazing over at us briefly with a look of interest. “Excellent.” A foreign female voice joins the conversation. I gape, as does everyone else. We haven’t heard anyone else talk before. “Who was that?” Charlie asks what were all thinking. “My… colleague. We’ll call her… Silo. Good talking to you again, Sir. How’s it going?” Citizen Z asks politely. “It’s going.” Charlie answers, with barely any enthusiasm. “Excellent!” Silo’s voice returns. “And the package?” Citizen Z’s voice adds on. “Still alive. Please tell us where to drop him off.” Charlie responds, giving Murphy a sour look. “California.” “California? Wait. No. Hold on. That’s not going to happen. We need to go someplace closer.” Charlie shakes his head, clearly at a loss. “Closer? Uh… Sorry Sergeant, but there is no… closer.” Citizen Z informs us, and wow, that’s awful news. I don’t know if any of us can stomach going that far with said man. “Can I speak to someone in charge?” Charlie demands defiantly. “Uh, yeah, copy that. I’m sure they’d like to talk to you too, but that may be a little problematic.” Comes the… interesting response. “What do you mean problematic?” Charlie questions further, having all of us wondering what’s going on now. “More puppies and kittens.” Warren barks, un-holstering her gun. Everyone goes on alert after that. “Why can’t I speak to somebody at the lab?” Charlie attempts to keep figuring this out. “Well Sir-“ “What’s going on?” Charlie is befuddled. “We’ve lost contact.” Citizen Z replies, with really unfortunate news. “Are they even still alive?” Charlie sounds distressed now. “I’m working on confirming that Sir. I’ve got a screen full of incoming z’s headed your way. You’d better get moving Sergeant. I’ll find you, but for now, go West until you hit the ocean.” Citizen Z instructs us. Charlie drops the phone, walking away, not bothering to respond anymore. 

I force myself back to my feet, seeing as how we are about to hit the road again. The world tilts a bit, but I stay standing. Another explosion goes off, and I jump a little. “Look! Awesome. Never thought I’d see this thing again.” Addy announces, taking her baseball bat out of a fallen z’s head, laughing manically. “Wait! Here comes the kid!” Doc exclaims, throwing a hand in the air. “Found these.” 10K explains, setting down the gas canisters. “Kid! You’re a god!” Doc gets even more excited by the prize, patting 10K on the cheek. “Yeah, well hurry up.” Warren commands. They hurriedly put them in the truck bed, and 10K gently helps hoist me into it too. Addy jumps in and 10K sits down, nodding to the spot next to him, letting me slide in between him and Cassie. Now that we actually have the time to chill, Addy and Cassie both gape at me. 

“Oh god, what happened to you?!” Addy exclaims, eyes bugging out. “I’ve had a long day. Went looking for him, and almost died like two, maybe three times over. Here I am though.” I tell them, nodding at 10K and nudging his leg with mine. “We need to fix you up, you look bad.” Cassie says next, motioning at my body and hands. “Tell me about it.” I chuckle out, wincing at the stinging in my right side. “Yeah we can pull over soon, once were out of harm’s way.” Addy agrees. “Excuse me, ma’am. You have a finger in your hair.” 10K says, staring over at Cassie. She sort of gives him a weird look, as he nods at her shoulder. Her eyes follow, and I laugh as she finds the gross thing, grimacing and tossing it over the side of the truck and onto the ground. Addy snorts and 10K just looks sheepish. As we go, I get drowsy and I can’t see straight. My head lolls to the side, landing on 10K’s shoulder. “Oceana? Hey, look at me.” He says quietly, shaking my arm lightly. “We need to pull over and fix her up.” Cassie says, nodding at the still slowly oozing wounds. Addy taps on the cab window. Mack clicks it open. “What’s up?” He asks, looking worried. “We need to find a place to pull off and hunker down for the night that’s safe as is possible. Oceana is not doing well.” Addy explains, leaning in front of me. “We’ll be stopping here in just a few minutes. There’s a camping ground nearby we might be able to stay in.” Charlie calls back to us. “Keep her as comfortable as you can and sit tight.” Warren tacks on, authority all over her tone. “Okay.” Addy answers, reaching out to stroke my hair softly. I hum in the back of my throat, feeling relaxed by the kind touches. 10K shuffles a little closer, so the side of his body is up against mine. It’s warm and soothing and I lean into him. Cassie sidles up to my other side and we huddle in a line of warmth, Addy laying on my legs. 

Thankfully, we drive into the campsite after only about another ten minutes of driving. Its ten minutes too many for me. There’s a thin, barely visible gravel road leading off the main stretch. It’s more of a trail really. The whole area is well hidden from the road, which is good. We’ll attract less unwanted attention from z’s… and other living people. We jerk to a stop next to what appears to be a restroom. It isn’t too shabby, but does look unused. The less surprise visitors, the better. The park itself looks as though it hasn’t been touched since the start of this shit show. Everyone hops out of the cab of the truck. “Well, I doubt we’ll have anyone notice us back here. Too many trees, too well shaded.” Warren announces, giving the expanse a good onceover. “Good thing too. Oceana needs a few days to recover, I think.” Charlie responds quietly, nodding in my direction. “Please help me get her up.” Addy asks Cassie, looping one of my arms in hers. “Of course.” Cassie responds, grabbing my other arm. 10K plops down to the dirt, casting an anxious look up at the three of us. I manage to get up, mostly of my own volition somehow. Even I can admit at this point that I’m in pretty awful shape. Between the two girls, I half walk, half get dragged to the edge of the truck bed, where 10K is waiting to aid in getting me off without falling. Addy and Cassie keep a grip on my shoulders, while 10K gently wraps his arms around my middle, taking the brunt of my weight. I land softly on my feet, propped up against him. “I got her.” He whispers to the other two, who let go slowly. “Need any help?” Doc asks quietly, trotting up. “It’s okay. I feel responsible since she was with me.” 10K answers, a bit of guilt in his tone. 

“Were getting a tent set up over here. It’s almost ready. We just have to lay out some blankets and pillows. Then we can patch her up.” Marianna explains, brow knit, putting a hand to my forehead. “Her temperature is pretty high right now.” Marianna tells the others. My vision goes in and out of focus, I feel cold and sweaty at the same time, and I begin to sway violently again. “Whoa! We need to check her out right now. We’ve waited long enough.” Warren takes charge again. “Yeah, she’s trembling and probably has a fever. Her wounds might be getting infected. Come on.” Charlie leads the way to the tent. I try to take a step and my body finally gives up. I begin to collapse, but 10K is there, catching me, keeping me upwards. He doesn’t even ask, just hoists me up and carries me into the tent. “Not… your fault. I got myself… in trouble.” I mumble out, barely able to form words now. 10K huffs, gazing down at my face. “Okay. Fair enough. Just get better.” He mutters, lying me on a warm, fluffy surface. “Thank you.” I manage to slur out before everything fades to black. 

When I come to again, I am completely jumbled, forgetting briefly everything that happened to me. I jolt into an upright position, cringing at the burst of pain in my side. Crap. It all comes back, in flashes, the refinery, the un-glorifying leap of faith, the injuries, the explosion, the truck ride, the campsite, all of it. I groan, rubbing my face and the sleep out of my eyes. I am alone in the tent, so I call out softly. “Hello? Charlie? Warren? Marianna? Guys?” I ask, wondering what went down after I passed out so inelegantly. “Well, howdy there stranger. How you feeling?” Doc answers my question with another, as he pushes aside the flap and sits at my side. “I’ve been better. Though I feel good, considering where I was before. How long have I been out?” I ask, seeing the daylight, knowing it could have been an hour or three days. “About twenty four hours sweetheart. Here. You’ll want this.” Doc answers, holding out a bottle of water. I take it, downing a few gulps greedily. “Also, take these. They will help with the pain. It’s the good stuff too.” Doc adds, dropping two pills in my outstretched hand. I glance at them, they appear to be Vicodin, but I’m not sure. Doc knows his stuff, so I swallow them, not worried by it. I grimace at the bitter flavor, sucking more water to dampen the taste. “We’ve been taking short shifts to keep an eye on you. Clearly, we shouldn’t have been too worried. Enough of all of that though, let’s get you some fresh air!” Doc exclaims, helping me to my feet. I would protest, but even I can tell I could use the movement in my stiff limbs. 

I’m relieved to say that there are still a few twinges of dull aching, but walking on my own is actually not that hard. I’m a little slow, but overall quite mobile. I emerge from the tent, limping a bit and feeling slightly taut, blinking in the afternoon sun. “Oceana! You’re awake!” Marianna cries out gleefully, striding up and wrapping her arms around me gently, so as not to jostle my wounds. “Hey, yeah, it’s good to see you too.” I chuckle, returning her embrace without a second thought. “Hey! Good to see you back on your feet.” Charlie smiles at me, and I nod appreciatively. “You are one hell of a warrior dude!” Mack calls over to me from where he and Addy are seated under a nearby oak tree. I wave back at the two, as they wave enthusiastically. “So you’re not dead. Good for you.” Murphy says, sitting on the end of the truck. “Always a pleasure Murph.” I answer calmly, beginning to not even be bothered by his salty comments. I say, beat sass with more sass. “Yeah, everyone was worried about you, with the exception of Murphy probably. Especially 10K, though he was good at hiding it, whom I believe is out at the end of the trail, keeping an eye out for any threats. If you want to talk to him. Between you and me, I think he could use the reassurance though.” Warren informs me, arm around my shoulders, giving me that look of hers I’ve noticed she does frequently. Mainly when she thinks or expects you to know something, or take a hint. “Yeah, I’ll go do that.” I respond, shocked to find how well I have already come to know these people, my friends. It’s terrifying, but also relieving, to be close to other humans again. 

I tread an uneven, lopsided path out to where 10K is standing. I stop about ten yards back, so as not to startle him. Despite my injuries, I still know how to walk quietly. I admire his silhouette in the light seeping through the treetops for a moment, then take a few more steps forward. “Hey, 10K.” I murmur softly, announcing my presence. He straightens up, turning at the sound of my voice. “Oceana. How are you feeling?” he asks softly, nodding at my torso. I place one of my hands over my side subconsciously, shrugging. “I feel a lot better. Thanks again for all your help.” I tell him, smiling shyly. His mouth quirks up at the corners a bit, very subtlety. I almost don’t notice it, but I do. “It’s no big deal. I assume you’d do the same for me.” He replies, gazing out across the road and the fields nearby. “I would.” I don’t hesitate to say. “Just don’t worry too much. I have a knack for getting into sticky situations. I always get back out. I was alone for six months. Believe me, I’ve become talented at saving myself.” I explain, not wanting him to ever feel guilty about my silly mistakes. “Yeah, I’m starting to get that.” he huffs, a hint of what seems to be fondness leaking into his tone. “Yeah, you get used to it.” I laugh, taking his hand in my bandaged one, giving it a quick squeeze, before turning to head back to the others. I don’t make it far before 10K trots up beside me. “The area is pretty empty. I’ll walk back with you?” he mumbles in the form of a question. I try not to grin. “Yeah, that sounds nice.” I nod, as we fall into companionable silence. I breathe deeply, enjoying the peaceful quiet, and the earthy smells of the woods and forest. All too soon, I know we’ll be moving on to whatever new and horrifying terrors this harsh world can throw at us.   
That night, after a dinner of beans and fruit, I plod back to the tent that is now mine, and prepare for bed. Apparently it had belonged to Hammond, which gives me a twinge of guilt, yet I am grateful to have it now. I’m only in there for five minutes, when the flaps are pulled open, and Doc and 10K come ducking in. I cock an eyebrow, wondering what the hell is going on. There’s no panic, so it can’t be anything too serious or z’s or any of that. I cock a brow, expression of confusion on my face. “We don’t have tents, so I was thinking maybe us three could be bunking buddies from now on.” Doc grins broadly at me. My eyes widen, and I’m surprised, though not opposed to the idea. “I told you, she probably wants her privacy. She doesn’t need us imposing on her.” 10K grumbles at Doc, and I quickly shake my head. “I’m staggered, but not upset. In fact, it sounds like a great plan. That way it’s two more of us who won’t get stuck in rain or anything like that. I’d be proud to call you guys’ bunkmates.” I hastily say, wanting them both to feel at home and welcome. “See? I told yah kid.” Doc gives 10K a happy nod, laying out his sleeping bag. I lay down on mine, grabbing up my blankets, making myself comfortable. “Kid, get on her other side. She’s injured still. We can protect her if anything goes down.” Doc tells him, motioning in said direction. I roll my eyes at the ceiling. “She doesn’t need it, but sure.” 10K answers, a splash of sauciness to his mannerisms. I snort, and roll over, facing 10K’s side. “Hey now! It doesn’t hurt to reassure the girl.” Doc tosses back, and I just laugh into my pillow. “Okay boys, enough. I’m tired. Good night.” I put an end to the witty banter and close my already drooping lids. I am conscious enough however, to feel 10K adjust closer to me, and his warmth permeates around me. I smile and drift off tranquilly for a change. 

I become conscious, only due to the fact that I’m sweating somewhat. In my drowsy state, I’m lost as to why for a second, until I feel shifting movement around me. My eyes slide from side to side, absorbing the sight of Doc on my left, and 10K on my right. At some point during the night, they must have crowded closer to me, for they are now squashed into either side of me. I chuckle silently to myself, humored by this development. I’m happily surprised to find how completely comfortable and at ease I am with these two though. It really is a nice, pleasant change. I have two ideas running through my head, but they are both either too confident or too withdrawn for me to pick any option at all. So I settle somewhere in the middle. 

“What the hell are you two doing???” I question, prodding them both equally in the chest, as I liven up and focus on my surroundings enough to peer at them accusingly. “Whoa, girly! Calm down. We aren’t doing anything. What’s got you in a twist?” Doc comes back first, sitting up quickly, his beard all lopsided. “Sleeping! Just sleeping.” 10K follows suit, pulling the blanket up with him, looking like a small child, his hair poking out at odd angles and sticking up. He looks as though I’ve accused him of grabby hands or something. I start giggling, before full on cackling at the looks on their faces. “I was kidding guys! Come on. Sheesh.” I chortle, falling back with a gleeful cry. Doc starts laughing with me. “…Damn.” 10K says, shaking his head and joining in. Our tent fills with chuckling, and soon we hear a few voices outside. “What are you three up to?” It’s Marianna. “I’m just screwing around with the boys. No worries.” I call back. “Well at least we have no reason to worry.” Warren sighs, and I hear her plop down by the tent. “This is true.” Charlie adds, and I get up, ready to start a new day with a smile on my face for the first time in a long while. I stretch, sighing softly, and turn away to change into a fresh shirt. Once the three of us are clothed and awake completely, we exit the tent.

“Treat yourselves to breakfast. There’s cooked rabbit over by the fire. Charlie managed to shoot that a little earlier.” Warren nods towards the still smoldering coal pit. “Don’t mind if I do.” Doc immediately, eagerly walks over. “Good job Charlie.” I smile at the man sitting there. “Thank you.” He sends me a friendly wink. 10K and I go to fill our bellies. 

“So, who would like to help scour this place for supplies?” Marianna asks, halting next to the three of us. “I think I’ll stay near camp, just because I’m still recovering. I can find useful things to collect in the general vicinity.” I answer, motioning to the empty bathrooms and other small cabins and such in the area. “Good idea. I’ll stay with Oceana, make sure she has some backup. You can take the kid here with you. He’d be of more use to you than me.” Doc adds, patting 10K on the back. He just nods his agreement. “Okay, that sounds like a good plan. Finish up and meet the rest of us over by the truck in a few.” Marianna replies, heading back over in that direction now. 

With stomachs full of delicious food, we go meet up with the others, prepared to hear the newest plan. “Charlie and I have been talking, and we agree that we should do a quick once-over and gather whatever supplies or useful items may be left in this campground. Fortunately, it isn’t large so it won’t take long.” Warren announces to us all, motioning at the wide expanse of land. “We already all know what is to be done. So go ahead and start your tasks.” Charlie nods us off to explore our given sections. Doc and I begin by searching the restrooms. Ew. “Oh, god! It smells like sin itself in here.” I groan, scrunching my face and grimacing at the treacherous odor wafting through the dank, still air. “You know, apocalypse and all, who would bother to remember to clean a campsite bathroom…” Doc shrugs, unperturbed by it. The only thing we find is a duffle bag of clothes. We take it and scram out of the nasty, insulting building. 

We then take to scavenging the musky, rustic log cabins on the edge of the tree line. It’s no jackpot or anything, but we do find some food and ammo. After a thorough top to bottom hunt, Doc and I call it good, reporting back to Warren and Charlie. We fork over the provisions, with a look of approval from the two. “It’s not much, but it does help, anything does.” Warren praises us, looking slightly proud. At that moment, 10K emerges from the forest, pack full of materials, carrying a couple of squirrels. “You are talented. The rest of us look like cockroaches in comparison.” Doc shakes his head with a look of pure ashamed disbelief. “Even I can admit that he’s a major asset at this point.” Charlie agrees instantly. “Well, yeah. He has been since the second he appeared on that rooftop and saved Doc. I’m just saying.” Marianna pipes up from behind Mack and Addy. “I am not going to argue that.” Warren tags on, clapping 10K on the shoulder. A small half-smile turns up the corners of his mouth. I feel light and positive, which is so hard to achieve these days that I can’t help but grin in response. 

We end up splitting up clothes based on who it would fit best, and then pack up our stuff, to get back on the road. It’s been a crazy few days, and I’m just glad it’s over and back to normal. Well, if you can call it that. Onward we drive, still chasing the idea of a cure, even if it means floundering all the way to freaking California. Oh, I can only imagine the drama Murphy will cause.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo boy! I found out that apparently, I enjoy beating the crap out of Oceana. It's just so fun to put my original characters through so much insanity. lol As for actual character development, I hope it went well. I was also focusing on not making any of the Z Nation peeps too ooc or anything like that. For some reason I really get a hoot out of writing witty, salty comments from Murphy. Absolutely gratifying and fun. XD
> 
> Thanks for reading guys!! I appreciate it. I hope you stick around for more.


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